Student Fee Allocations
The Purpose of Student Fees
Imagine, for a moment, a quite different University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Erase from the campus scene all recreational facilities, the Nebraska Unions, the Health Center, and the residence halls. Eliminate all student services such as counseling, advocacy, study skills and well-being programs; all student organizations and activities, and government groups; and all campus programs — films, concerts, dances, workshops, performing arts, intramural sports, group fitness, outdoor adventures, etc.
What remains represents the core of higher education — the academic curriculum. Everything else, some would say, is unnecessary. But is it? American educators have long recognized that college students develop not only intellectually, but physically, socially, and emotionally as well, and that these dimensions of human development are interrelated. Educators know, too, that academic achievement can be helped or hindered by the quality of campus life.
Thus, most American universities offer more than classrooms and instructors. They provide programs, services and facilities designed to make the institution a community where most students' interests and needs can be met. At Nebraska, as elsewhere, some of these facilities, services, opportunities, and programs are self-sustaining; some are supported by tuition and tax monies; others are financed by "student fees," or what Nebraska calls University Program and Facilities Fees (UPFF).
Although paid by students for programs and services oriented to students, UPFF assessments are not "user fees." They are, rather, part of the cost of attending the university. All students enrolled in in-person courses — even those whose classes may opt for remote instruction — are assessed student fees along with tuition, whether or not they expect to take advantage of fee-funded facilities and services that particular semester. Like taxes that we pay within the larger communities in which we live, student fees are essential to the support of vital functions within the university community — in this case, functions that enrich, enliven and humanize the institution.
How Decisions About Spending Student Fees Are Made
In accordance with the Bylaws of the Board of Regents, the total income from University Program and Facilities Fees are divided into two portions: Fund A is used to fund programs and activities managed by student groups; Fund B is used to make bond payments and fund staff salaries and operating costs for various student services and maintenance of related facilities.
ASUN (Association of Students of the University of Nebraska) recommends to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs all assessments and disbursements of Fund A monies, preparing its recommendations on the basis of annual budget requests submitted by eligible student organizations. To fulfill this responsibility, ASUN has established a Committee for Fee Allocation (CFA) composed of three ASUN senators and ten students elected with positions appointed as follows: residence halls (2), Greek chapters (1), off-campus (4), one student with an East Campus major and/or residence (1), one Graduate student (1), and one at-large student (1). The Vice Chancellor forwards ASUN's recommendations to the Chancellor along with any suggested modifications, and the Chancellor makes final decisions on Fund A allocations.
Decisions on the allocation of Fund B are made by the Board of Regents upon the recommendation of the Chancellor and the President. It has been customary for ASUN's Committee for Fee Allocation to review annual budget requests submitted by Fund B agencies and to make recommendations through ASUN to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs on UPFF Fund B assessments, as well as on those in the Fund A category. The UPFF Fund B assessment includes a $111.50 per student per semester debt service assessment that is mandated by the University's bond agreements, and thus, this portion of the Fund B is not subject to change. These bonds funded construction and renovations of the Nebraska Unions, University Health Center, Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center, Outdoor Adventures Center, Recreation and Wellness Center on East Campus, and renovation of the Campus Recreation Center. The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs is the University officer directly responsible for most UPFF-funded agencies and functions. Questions about the use of UPFF funds should be directed to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 106 Canfield Administration Building.
In regard to UPFF assessments and allocations, as in all other matters, the University of Nebraska does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veterans status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.
Fee Allocations
The following tables detail the allocations of UPFF funds for 2024-25. The allocations to Nebraska student organizations are categorized as “Fund A” of UPFF, and the allocations to university-administered programs and facilities are categorized as “Fund B” of UPFF. The "Per Student Per Semester Assessment" figures are approximations.
| Student Organizations | Per Student Per Semester | Projected Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| ASUN Student Government | $12.24 | $535,929 |
| Daily Nebraskan | $3.86 | $169,074 |
| DailyER Nebraskan | $0.15 | $6,400 |
| University Program Council Programming | $6.58 | $278,657 |
| Lied Center Discounts | $4.96 | $210,000 |
| SUBTOTAL | $27.79 | $1,200,060 |
| Institutional Obligations & Student Service Agencies | Per Student Per Semester | Projected Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Campus Recreation - Programs & General Operations | $201.51 | $8,832,757 |
| Campus Recreation - Repair & Improvement of Recreation Facilities | $20.00 | $960,300 |
| Nebraska Unions - General Operations | $115.57 | $5,109,691 |
| Newspaper Program | $2.37 | $105,000 |
| Transit Services | $27.68 | $1,223,903 |
| University Health Center - General Operations | $126.96 | $5,613,380 |
| University Health Center - Counseling Services | $61.52 | $2,720,146 |
| Debt on Facilities | $111.50 | $4,245,625 |
| SUBTOTAL | $667.11 | $28,810,802 |
| Total Fees | Per Student Per Semester | Projected Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Funds A & B | $694.90 | $30,010,862 |
Fund A Refunds
Board of Regents policies stipulate that students may request a refund of the amount indicated in the "Per Student" column for any or all of the items listed under Fund A. Fund A refund forms may be obtained at the Student Organizations Financial Services Office (Nebraska Union, Room 200) during the first four weeks of each semester.