When figuring out how to afford college when transferring students should consider the countless fees they will face. Some students may encounter a one-time fee, but others can experience recurring fees per semester.
Not all schools require the same fees, but common ones students may encounter are campus fees, orientation fees, student services fees, application fees, housing deposits and meal plans. Most of the campuses that require these costs have a full breakdown of what is covered in your payment.
Campus fees are required from both UCs and CSUs. CSU Long Beach has a campus fee of $1,092 and CSU Los Angeles has a campus fee of $1,026. UC Berkeley’s website at berkeley.edu said the combined total of tuition and fees is about $761. U.C. Riverside’s website at ucr.edu said their quarterly fee is about $431 according to their quarterly fees on ucr.edu.
Orientation fees are a one-time fee for incoming college freshmen and new undergraduate students. Cal Poly Pomona’s orientation program costs page says the school charges a mandatory freshman orientation program fee of $194.29, a fee of $15.00 to change the time slot and an additional $50.00 per guest. These fees are non-refundable.
A student service fee, also sometimes known as campus spirit fee, is also a hidden fee that students must pay. Every year at U.C. Irvine students pay a “campus spirit fee.” For the 2016-2017 school year, the school billed each student $99 according to uci.edu/fees. The campus spirit fee is required of all undergraduate students regardless of the number of courses taken or units carried. The fee is used to support athletics and campus spirit programs.
An application fee is something colleges require for applying to their institution. Each college can choose how much to charge with the option of no charge at all. Sometimes this fee may be waived. The average college application fee is around $43, but can go a lot higher. Both CSU and U.C. programs require a $70 non-refundable application fee.
If a student plans on living on campus, housing deposits are necessary just to apply to be considered. When applying for housing at USC a $55 nonrefundable application processing fee is required. UC Davis states on their student housing and residence hall page that they require a $500 reservation fee, which will be applied toward fall quarter housing fees. If a student is approved to live on campus, they must also choose a meal plan.
Most colleges require residential students to get a meal plan. Jana Cary-Alvarez on affordablecollegesonline.org said the average college or university charges around $4,500 per year and many schools charge much more.
CSU Long Beach recommends a 17-meal-per-week meal plan for first year students which costs $4,133 per academic year. UCLA has a 19-meal-per-week meal plan that costs $12,166.08 per academic year according to their 2017-2018 meal contracts.
Unfortunately, these costs do not end at transferring. Some colleges charge students a commencement fee, or graduation fee to participate in the school’s ceremony. College’s have a lot of hidden costs and it’s important to know what students are paying.
