Higher ed - A group wants universities to raise tuition instead of adding extras so financial aid will cover costs

Students in Oregon's public universities who are fed up with fees that add hundreds of dollars to their college costs each year will ask state higher education officials Friday to get rid of them and raise tuition instead.

A proposal from student leaders and university administrators would bump tuition significantly next fall for Oregon's 81,000 public university students to better reflect the true price of higher education. Students say they are willing to pay more tuition instead of fees because it would help them get enough financial aid and avoid unexpected expenses.

"It's just like a hidden price tag," said Rudy Soto, student president at Portland State University. "There are so many instances where these types of fees can make or break a situation when a student can go to college or not."

The number of fees for academic programs at Oregon's universities has more than quadrupled from 18 in 2000-01 to 75 this year, according to the Oregon Student Association. In addition to raising tuition in recent years, universities have added fees and raised existing fees to cover high-cost academic programs such as engineering and business.

"From a student standpoint, resource fees are just back-door tuition increases," said Jay Kenton, vice chancellor for finance and administration for the Oregon University System. "Frankly, there's an element of truth to that."

For example, a full-time Oregon State University student pays $4,464 in annual tuition this fall and $1,447 in mandatory fees for everything from technology to health care. Engineering majors at OSU pay as much as $1,329 in additional annual fees.

The Oregon Student Association, a coalition of student government leaders, has lobbied for changes to the fee system for years and finally gained traction this year when state officials formed a panel of administrators and students to study the issue.

Administrators on the panel agreed to the proposal partly because the new system would not reduce the universities' overall income. But they could no longer add new fees in a financial crunch.

"It's somewhat less flexibility but more transparency for the students, and I think that's what's important," said Lindsay Desrochers, PSU's vice president for finance and administration.

The state Board of Higher Education will discuss the proposal Friday but isn't expected to vote on a final recommendation until January. The Legislature would have to lift a tuition cap for the changes to take effect in fall 2008.

Universities would be able to charge higher than normal tuition for certain programs if they set aside 10 percent of the additional tuition to help low-income students pay for the program. After the initial switch, universities would have to justify the need for more money to improve learning and instruction or match the costs of similar programs at other universities.

The new process would be more open to scrutiny by students, parents and faculty.

Emily McLain, student president at the University of Oregon and chairwoman of the Oregon Student Association's board, said she and her parents puzzle over fees on her bill.

"It's lots of little fees that you don't know that you have to pay," she said. "My parents asked, 'What are they for? Where does it go?' We don't even know where the money is going. Some of the fees just really aren't being justified."

Another problem is that some fees aren't added to a student's bill until students register for classes, well after financial aid is awarded. Students can ask for more aid if their fees are higher than expected, but many students don't know they have that option.

Financial aid packages cover mandatory fees paid by all students, but many fees for specific academic programs are not included in the initial cost estimates, said Elizabeth Bickford, UO's director of financial aid and scholarships. UO's financial aid office increased aid to 400 students in fall 2006.

Under the proposed changes, "the best thing financial aid offices would be able to do is provide better financial aid information sooner," she said. "Being able to have that information early on would be very helpful to the families so they know what that cost is upfront."

Soto, a junior liberal studies major at PSU, said he has withdrawn from some classes because they had fees. The proposed increase in tuition may cause some concern and sticker shock among students, he said.

But, he added, "it is going to eliminate a lot of those barriers and hopefully make it easier to attend the university in the future."

Suzanne Pardington: 503-412-7054; spardington@news.oregonian.com