Student fee

A student fee is a fee charged to students at a school, college, university or other place of learning that is in addition to any matriculation and/or tuition fees. It may be charged to support student organizations and student activities (for which it can be called an activity fee) or for intercollegiate programs such as intramural sports or visiting academics; or, at a public university or college, as a means to remedy shortfalls in state funding (in which case it can often be called a technology fee). Further fees may then be charged for features and facilities such as insurance, health and parking provision.

United States

Constitutionality of activity fees

In the United States, the constitutionality of mandatory student activity fees has been adjudicated several times by the Supreme Court. Most recently, the Court has ruled that public universities may subsidize campus speech by means of a mandatory student activity fees so long as such fees are allocated to groups with viewpoint neutrality (see Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth 529 U.S. 217 (2000)).

Student fee cases

• Rosenberger v. University of Virginia, 515 U. S. 819 (1995).