Note: Please click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

San Francisco State is working to inform both current and prospective students about the fee increases adopted by trustees of the CSU system on Monday, Dec. 16.

The increase, the system's first in eight years, adds $72 a semester to undergraduate fees and $114 a semester for graduate student fees at all 23 campuses of the California State University system, including San Francisco State. Currently, CSU full-time undergraduate students pay an annual State University Fee of $1,428, the lowest in the country. With the fee increase, the undergraduate fee will go from $1,428 to $1,572 annually. The graduate fee will go from $1,506 to $1,734 annually. Non-resident and international students will also be required to pay in higher fee.

Various campus Web sites will post and update information about the fee increase including www.sfsu.edu and http://www.sfsu.edu/current.htm. The University posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) list, which you can find by clicking the link at the top of this document.

Jo Volkert, assistant vice president for Enrollment Planning and Management and her staff, which includes those in financial aid, are working to inform students about the fee increase via email updates to current students, and information on the registration helpline, (415) 338-3333.

The increases will generate $30 million throughout the CSU system, and trustee policy mandates that one-third of the fee increase, $10 million, goes immediately for financial aid to assist students. This will be realized by students receiving a state university grant.

The trustees' fee action was taken to partially offset a $59.6 million midyear cut in state funding. When the new cut is added to reductions already made by the state, the fiscal impact for this year totals $125 million out of the CSU's $2.68 billion budget.

In addition, the Student Health Service fee will increase by $17 to $82 a semester for San Francisco State students. The San Francisco State University Student Fee Advisory Committee recommended the increase to President Corrigan, who reviewed the request and, with the concurrence of the CSU Chancellor, approved the increase effective with the Spring 2003 semester.

The Health Service fee was established in 1992, and was last increased in 1994. During that time, health care and medical costs have jumped dramatically. Student Health Service costs have increased over the past decade at a rate of approximately 4.5% per year. The fee increase will ensure the continuous operations of the self-supporting Student Health Service.