Background and Context
“Fees” refer to all mandatory and required charges other than the cost of tuition. Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules §20-15-1 and Board of Regents Policy Chapter 6.203 authorize the University of Hawaiʻi to establish user fees for services provided by various programs at the University of Hawaiʻi. The establishment of new fees requires Board of Regents (BOR) approval. Any increases or decreases to fees require BOR approval unless authority is delegated to the President or authorized designees. The fee categories are as follows:
| Fee Type | Description/Examples | Authority to Establish New Fee | Authority to Increase/Decrease Already Established Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional | For select professional programs that have high costs in comparison to other instructional programs with the same tuition. Generally assessed once each semester during enrollment in the program, but not necessarily applied during summer or other short terms. | BOR | BOR |
| Mandatory Student | Student organization fees. Used to fund the operations of student governance organizations and other co-curricular student activities, publications, broadcasting, and Campus Center operations. | BOR | President * |
| Housing | Housing fees, including associated meal plans, which are used to offset the operational costs of housing, bond indebtedness associated with housing revenue bonds, and maintenance and repair programs for housing. Housing fees may be developed for semester-long attendance and for short term stays. | BOR | BOR |
| Course & Laboratory | Select courses that have unique costs in comparison to standard offerings or which are outside the normal credit course offerings. | BOR | BOR |
| Transaction & Service | Assessed to users of selected services as a means to offset all or part of the cost of providing the service or as a result of other directly related costs incurred to the institution. | BOR | President |
| Ancillary & Auxiliary | Charges for certain University services used by students, faculty, staff, and the general public. Programs shall be responsible for providing public notice of the applicable charges. | BOR | President |
| Commercial Enterprise & Other Self Supporting Operations | Certain programs, goods, and services provided by the University to students and the general community on a self-support basis. Because the charges associated with these programs, goods, and services are subject to market demand, changing supply costs, competition, and rapid change, they are not subject to prior approval by the Board. | BOR | President |
| Athletic admission fees and charges to athletic events | Charges to university athletic events based on the premise that athletic programs are expected to be largely self-sufficient while providing one of the major venues for interaction between the university and its external constituencies. | BOR | President |
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* Up to 3% per year, but no more than the increase in the real cost of services provided to the students (RP 6.203). |
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Campus Fee Advisory Committee
The Campus Fee Advisory Committee is promulgated by the Provost to evaluate proposals pertaining to the establishment of new fees, abolishment of existing fees, or revisions to current fees, and provide an assessment and recommendation on the proposal. The Committee is chaired by the Vice Provost for Student Success and includes the Vice Provost for Academic Excellence, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship, the Chief Business Officer, and representatives from the Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi (ASUH), the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), the Mānoa Faculty Senate, and the Staff Senate. The Committee considers the following criteria in their assessment:
- The population impacted by the proposed fee,
- The impact of the fee on the level and quality of service provided,
- The impact of the fee on the student’s cost of attendance budget,
- Results of consultative processes with the impacted population,
- Similar fees at peer and/or benchmark institutions,
- Evidence demonstrating that fee structure covers cost of services at the university,
- Manner in which the fees will be collected and allocated,
- Manner in which the fees will be expended.
Timeline
In general, new fees or rate increases will only be implemented in the Fall. Proposals must be submitted and approved a year prior to the Fall semester in which the fee will be implemented. Please allow adequate time to work with the appropriate Vice Provost and the Campus Fee Advisory Committee prior to submission, as proposals often require revisions and additional information.
| Responsible Party | Action | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Requesting Unit | Consults with impacted groups and secures support for the proposal from the appropriate Vice Provost prior to submitting the proposal and Action Memo. | |
| Requesting Unit | Submits Action Memo to the Office of the Provost for review and routing. | |
| Office of the Provost | Provost’s Office conducts an initial review and iterates with the Requesting Unit to make necessary edits/additions prior to forwarding to either the Campus Fee Advisory Committee for further review and recommendation to the provost. | |
| Campus Fee Advisory Committee | Reviews the written proposal and presentation by the Requesting Unit. Following the presentation, the Committee develops a recommendation to the Provost. | |
| Vice Provost | Reviews recommendations from the Committee and if approved, forwards the proposal and Action Memo back to the appropriate Vice Provost for documentation. | |
| Office of the Provost | Conducts final review, Provost signs and routes to President for action. If approved, President returns the original to the Provost who will then forward copies to relevant offices (VPs, Bursar’s Office, Cashier’s Office, Financial Aid Office, Budget Office, Registrar, Catalog Office, etc.). |
Request Process
The Requesting Unit is responsible for engaging in consultation with impacted groups prior to submitting a fee proposal. Proposals will include (templates linked):
- Action Memo (PDF) and Required Attachments
- Fee Proposal Budget (PDF)
- Optional Attachments
The final request package will be submitted to the Office of the Provost for review and routing. For inquiries regarding the fee proposal process, please email provost@hawaii.edu.