About the UCSC budget: Student fees

Educational Fee (Ed Fee) - This is a system wide mandatory fee. These funds do not come directly to UCSC; they are allocated by UCOP based on actual enrollment levels. The amount allocated to UCSC is adjusted (reduced) to pay for financial aid (up to one-third of the Educational and Registration Fee revenue is directed to need-based financial aid. Although this is calculated on the income generated by both fees, it is taken only from the Educational Fee. The amount returned to aid for undergraduate students is 33 percent and 50 percent for graduate students). The fee level, set by The Regents, varies between resident undergraduate, graduate students, and nonresident students. Undergraduate residents pay $6,252 and Graduate residents pay $7,122. After deducting funds for financial aid, the campus receives incremental Ed Fees at the rate of about $3,700 for each additional budgeted FTE student.



Registration Fees (Reg Fee) - This is a system wide mandatory fee, and the fee level is set by The Regents. The Reg Fee is retained entirely by the campus and is used to support a variety of student service activities such as counseling and mental health services, academic advising, tutorial assistance, and cultural and recreation programs. The Student Fee Advisory Committee (comprised of students, faculty, and staff) provide advice to the VC Student Affairs and the Chancellor on the allocation of these funds. These funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including capital projects. When the state targeted a cut to the student service programs supported by the Reg Fee in 2003-04, UCSC students placed a referendum on the ballot to institute a new mandatory fee - known as Measure 7 - to preserve the variety and quality of student programs that were threatened by a state imposed cut. Measure 7 passed overwhelmingly and is now a campus based mandatory fee at UCSC.



Campus-based Mandatory Fees - These are fees initiated and approved by students via a student referendum, and later approved by The Regents. They are mandatory, as a condition of enrollment. The list of campus-based mandatory fees differs between campuses. At UCSC, there are 27 distinct mandatory fees, including the college student government fee, the transit fee, the child care fee, various student facility fees,Measure 7, and the seismic-life-safety fee. The type of fees and fee levels vary between UG and Graduate students, based on the terms of the student referendum. The revenues must be used consistent with the terms of the referendum.



Miscellaneous and Course Material Fees - These are user fees and service charges. They are not mandatory as a condition of enrollment and are only charged to students and others when they actually use the service (i.e. application fees, duplicate diplomas fee, course material fees, lab use fees, etc.). The revenue from these fees is used to support the service provided.



Nonresident tuition - A mandatory fee charged to undergraduate and graduate students who are not residents of California with the fee level set by The Regents. Historically, all nonresident tuition is considered as UC General Funds and is used to help support the general fund operating budget. In some years, the Regents have chosen to pledge the incremental increase in nonresident tuition to help fund deferred maintenance funded through long-term debt. In 2007-08 the Office of the President began providing campuses with enrollment targets for nonresident students. Going forward, this change required campuses to be responsible for nonresident enrollment and nonresident tuition revenues.