Sacramento State President Luke Wood has approved the implementation of increased mandatory student fees for Sac State students after meeting with the Student Fee Advisory Committee on Monday afternoon.
According to Wood’s president’s update, Sac State will be increasing the Student Health Service fee, the Recreational Sports fee and Instructionally Related Activities fee. A proposed $500 per semester nonresident fee for out-of-state and international students was rejected after SFAC cited a lack of student support for the fee.
Wood stated his disagreement with SFAC’s recommendation against the nonresident fee in his campus-wide email.
“The committee did not recommend the non-resident fee that would have been $500 a semester each semester,” Wood said. “If you’re a student who’s coming from international or from out of state, your family has not supported the state institutions. It’s fair to say that those students should be expected to contribute more.”
Wood said that he conducted listening sessions with over 1500 community members, including students, faculty and alumni alongside the SFAC to discuss the proposed changes, allowing attendees to present any questions they had about the proposals. The approved fee increases are expected to total $508 per student over the next three years.
The total approved fee changes are:
- Intercollegiate Athletics fee increase by $75
- Instructionally Related Activities fee increase by $302
- Recreational Sports fee increase by $71
- Student Health Services fee increase by $60
RELATED: Students voice concern as Sac State proposes fee increases
“The campus has artificially held down fees for many, many years,” Wood said.
Wood cites the Instruction Related Activities fee, which has not been raised from its original price of $8 since its creation in 1993. The newfound funding from the Instructionally Related Activities fee increases is expected to help provide more internship opportunities to all students.
Wood said this would allow students to “graduate having real experience” for jobs related to their fields of study.
According to Wood, other increases will reflect the changes students want to see – changes requested over many listening sessions. This includes the increased support for cultural centers, clubs and campus organizations, basic needs services and improved counseling capacity.
Wood said students and faculty that the fee increase benefits would become visible as soon as spring 2026.
Wood said that despite the fee increases, Sac State remains one of the most affordable universities in California, citing a study from the College Future Foundation.
“Our average student graduates with $15,000 of debt. The national average is $30,000,” Wood said. “Most of our students earn enough to reap the benefits of their degree within six months of graduation.”
Wood said the fee increases were designed to minimally impact students concerned about being priced out of higher education.
“I would encourage them to look at what their financial aid package is,” Wood said. “The sensitivity analysis was specifically designed to make it so that we would keep the dollar amount for this fee far below what would affect students.”
Wood also said that he is committed to no further fee increase proposals for the next three years at Sac State’s main campus.
The approved fee increases are set to be implemented starting fall 2025. More information about these fees can be found in a memo by the SFAC.
Additional Reporting by Jack Freeman and Alexander Musa.
