SF State student fees will be cut after a review of mandatory fees for the upcoming fall semester, according to Interim Vice President of Administration and Finance and CFO of Administration and Finance Jeff Wilson.
“We are pleased to announce that, for fall 2020 the Gator Pass fee, which is normally $180 per semester, will be reduced to zero,” Wilson wrote in an email to the campus community on Thursday. “Students will continue to receive their normal semester transit benefits as the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) approved using program reserve funds for the fall transit expense.”
The elimination of the Gator Pass fee, along with the decrease of the IRA Athletics fee to $58 from its original $68, lowers fall’s tuition from $3,720 to $3,530 for students taking over six units. Students who already paid the now-eliminated fees will receive credit in their accounts or a refund if no other charges exist.
This cost of $3,530 per semester brings the price of tuition to the lowest point it has been in recent history at SF State. During the 2017-18 school year, tuition was $7,254, or $3,627 a semester. This number rose to $3,635 a semester for the 2019-20 school year, totalling $7,270.
The possibility of eliminating the Gator Pass fee appeared unlikely in June. In a meeting held by SFAC for students and administration to discuss the raised tuition, Interim Associate Vice President and Finance Vice President John Gates said the school was looking at reducing the cost within a $5-10 range.
“It’s this kind of an all-or-nothing kind of thing. So we could decide not to charge the students anything and pay Muni, but they’re not going to allow students to opt out,” Gates said during the June meeting.
Students also expressed frustration over fees related to the Mashouf Wellness Center and increase in health services fees, which rose $60 for the upcoming semester.
“We as students demand that the school find more innovative ways to lower our tuition and eliminate student fees while still protecting our student jobs,” fourth-year student SF State student Kaylah Breiz said at the meeting.
Wilson concluded his email by saying that the school is “continuing to review the Recreation and Wellness Center fee for possible savings.”
