The Oakland University Board of Trustees voted Nov. 2 to put an end to disproportionate charges, increase financial aid awards to students, eliminate non-refundable fees, increase third-party payer contributions and simplify student bills, effective winter 2006, by eliminating all mandatory student fees by rolling them into the cost of tuition.

“With the elimination of mandatory fees, the cost for students to attend Oakland University will be more equitable,” said John Beaghan, vice president for finance and administration.

Instead of paying tuition and multiple mandatory fees (general service, recreation center, student activity and course fees), students will pay a much simpler per-credit hour tuition rate. Specific results include:

• 56 percent of OU students will either see a decrease or no difference in cost.
• Part-time students no longer pay the same amount in per-semester fees as full-time students (previously per-semester fees were charged regardless of the number of credit hours taken).
• Spring and summer courses, usually taken with smaller loads, will be more equitably priced.
• Some students will pay a little more, some will pay less, but the average student’s cost will decrease by $41 per year.
• There is no new revenue to the university.

“It will help enrollment because a lot of students don’t like taking spring and summer classes because they don’t want to pay these huge fees to take a class,” Beaghan said.

An additional $570,000 will be available to those students who seek financial aid assistance, funded by this year’s state appropriation increase.

This change will level the playing field for all OU students, ensuring that everyone pays an amount based solely on the number of credit hours taken.

For more information, see the winter 2006 semester tuition and fees chart or contact the Office of Student Financial Services at (248) 370-2550 or mystuact@oakland.edu.  

The board also approved the Golf and Learning Center budget for fiscal year 2006.

During the working session portion of the meeting, the board heard information about:

• Capital outlay budget request for fiscal year 2007. The request includes money for an engineering building and renovations to Hannah Hall. These have been requested for the previous four years. The request was sent to the state pending board approval.
• Meadow Brook Hall budget for fiscal year 2006. The hall anticipates a $90,066 operating surplus for fiscal year 2006.

The next Board of Trustees meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. in Elliott Hall Auditorium. For more information including the entire meeting agenda, visit the Board of Trustees Web site.