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Course and Program Fees

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  1. POLICY

    Salt Lake Community College is committed to affordability and fiscal transparency. This policy establishes procedures for creating, reviewing, revising, and repealing course and program fees to ensure collected fees are used for the direct benefit of the students who pay the fee.

  2. REFERENCES
    1. Course and Program Fees, Utah State Bd. of Higher Educ. R517
    2. General Student Fees, Utah State Bd. of Higher Educ. R516
    3. Tuition, Utah State Bd. of Higher Educ. R510
  3. DEFINITIONS
    1. Course Fees: fees established to cover allowable costs of a particular course not covered by tuition. Open Educational Resources (OER), inclusive access, online course, and general student fees are not considered course fees and not subject to this policy. Course and program fees are used interchangeably with “fee” throughout the policy.
    2. Program Fees: fees established to cover allowable costs of a particular program of study not covered by tuition.
    3. Course and Program Fee Review Committee: a standing committee to review and make fee recommendations to SLCC Executive Cabinet which are forwarded to Board of Trustees for approval. The definition term is used interchangeably with “committee” throughout the policy.
  4. PROCEDURES
    1. General Provisions
      1. Course and program fees cover specific, direct costs for a course or program. These fees are assessed to avoid passing the costs onto the general student population. The fees must be used for the benefit of the enrolled students in that course or program.
      2. The Provost, or designee, will be responsible for the oversight of the Course and Program Fee Review Committee. These responsibilities include the establishment of:
        1. procedures for course and program fees, and
        2. procedures for appointment of committee members.
    2. Course and Program Fee Review Committee
      1. Committee will be compromised of the following members:
        1. three faculty members self-selected or assigned by their academic administrator,
        2. one academic dean selected by and from the Deans Council,
        3. one student appointed by the SLCC Student Association Executive Board,
        4. one representative from Provost, serves as Chair of the committee,
        5. one representative from Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, 
        6. one representative from Vice President for Finance & Administration. 
      2. Committee Responsibilites
        1. Annually review all fee proposals: new, continue, modify, suspend, repeal.
        2. Establish a three-year review schedule of existing fees and conduct each year’s review.
    3. Fee Proposal Process
      1. All fees must be based on realistic, actual cost estimates.
      2. Fee amounts will be kept as low as possible.
      3. Fees should be expended in the year they are assessed for the benefit of students paying the fee.
      4. Requirements for fee proposals
        1. Proposals shall include:
          1. the need for and use of the fee, and
          2. a sound budget plan outlining expected revenues and expenses.
        2. Fee proposals must be approved in writing by the appropriate academic administrator prior to submission to the committee chair.
    4. Fees Review Process
      1. By early November each year, the committee chair and Controller will provide prior year fee approvals, index and account trends, and instructional support to academic administrators who prepare fee proposals for the next fiscal year.
      2. After Fall Semester finals and prior to the holiday break, fee proposals are returned to the committee chair by the dean or associate vice-president.
      3. In January, the committee evaulates fee proposals, prepares a written report and recommendation, and submits to the Provost.
      4. By early February, the Provost presents the report and recommendation to the Executive Cabinet for review. Proposals are reviewed, discussed, and approved at the Executive Cabinet budget meeting.
      5. The report and recommendation are forwarded to the Board of Trustees for consideration at their next scheduled meeting in March. The college president will present the fees report and recommendations to the Board of Trustees for approval, modification, or rejection.
      6. In order for course and program fees to be implemeted for the upcoming fiscal year, the Board of Trustees must approve new, continued, and revised fees by mid-March.
    5. Fee Publication, Recordkeeping, and Collection
      1. Publication
        1. Course and program fee amounts and purpose must be disclosed in the general catalog, class schedule, and as part of the registration process.
        2. The Scheduling Office will program approved fees in the student information system.
      2. Recordkeeping
        1. The Provost, or designee, will provide all administrative and record keeping support to the committee and be the repository for:
          1. new fees,
          2. fee continuation,
          3. fee modification,
          4. fee suspension,
          5. fee repeal, and
          6. all committee documents.
        2. The Controller, or designee, shall be responsible for:
          1. index creation,
          2. course fee transaction management, and
          3. summary reports.
      3. Fee Collection
        1. Fees will be collected by the Bursar’s Office using standard business and billing practices.
        2. Collection of fees in the classroom is not permitted.
    6. Authorized and Unauthorized Fee Usage
      1. Course and Program fees may be used for the following purposes:
        1. consumable supplies and materials used by students to meet learning outcomes,
        2. off-site and classroom instructional activities,
        3. regulatory requirements such as student licensures and certifications,
        4. course specific software and license subscriptions for use by students,
        5. special instrutional arrangements such as:
          1. visiting class speakers; or
          2. independent contractors who services are associated with private instruction (e.g., music instructors, art models, etc.)
        6. equipment replacement, repair and maintenance.
      2. Course and Program Fees may not be used for the following purposes:
        1. compensaton for general instructional services rended by faculty, staff and teaching assistants, and
        2. purchase of new capital and non-capital equipment and assets.
    7. Accountability Requirements
      1. The Controller, Provost or designee, and institutional or Utah System of Higher Education internal auditors shall have authority to review the effectiveness of fees using standard internal controls for compliance with policy and acceptable accounting practices.
      2. Account Surpluses and Deficits
        1. Academic administrators are responsible for the oversight of expending fees in accordance with this policy.
          1. Monitor balances to ensure fees are used appropriately.
          2. Review fee balances
            1. If the review indicates an excess balance which is greater than 20% of annual revenue, a course fee reduction or one-time course fee suspension request should be submitted to the Course and Program Fee Review Committee for its review and approval.
            2. If the review indicates a balance deficit, the academic department must fund the deficit using departmental funds.
            3. If the review determines that the existing course or program fee revenue is insufficient to cover approved expenses, the academic administrator can submit a proposal to the committee to increase the fee.
          3. Evaluate fees on the three-year review schedule and revising when necessary.
      3. Fee Transfer Restrictions
        1. Funds collected from course and program fees will be deposited into a specific index established for that purpose.
        2. Funds shall not be transferred from these indexes into other indexes.
          1. As an exception, surplus funds may be transferred if a course or program has been repealed.
            1. The surplus funds must be transferred to an index which supports similar student oriented costs and activities.
            2. The surplus funds cannot be transferred to general departmental funds.
            3. Prior to any fund transfer, the department must submit to the committee a written plan which includes:
              1. The rationale to transfer funds:
              2. The index to where funds will be transferred and how those funds will be used.
          2. Any transfer of funds must be approved in writing by the committee.
      4. Modified Course Activities
        1. If a faculty member needs to modify course activities funded by course or program fees, this may be done provided that the fees are used
          1. to accomplish the same learning objectives; and
          2. during the same semester.
      5. Refund of Fees
        1. Fee refunds will not be allowed, except when a course or program is cancelled, unavailable, or a highly unusual personal circumstance.

Date of last cabinet review: March 1, 2022

The originator of this policy & procedure is the director of Curriculum, Articulation, and Governance
Support. Questions regarding this policy may be directed to the originator by calling 801-957-4563.