Editor’s note: This story was published at 7:31 a.m. on April 2. The five academic deans sent an email announcing the fees to students at 9:11 a.m. on April 2.
When registering for classes this week, students may have seen a change in the cost of their courses, one not communicated to them beforehand.
In substitution of traditional course lab fees, all students will be required to pay a set “college fee” per credit hour per class. These fees, set at $15 or $20 per credit hour depending on the college, will primarily be implemented in the fall 2025 semester, however, one college has already started the transition.
The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences has set a standard $15 per credit hour course fee for all of its students, meaning a three credit hour course will be charged to $45. These changes are designed to “improve student services and ensure fees are used to directly benefit student success,” stated the CEBS website, accessed through a link near the bottom of their homepage.
University Spokesperson Jace Lux told the Herald in an email Tuesday that these college fees will ensure a more even distribution of costs and will “simplify billing” for students.
Some current courses, Lux pointed out, can range in cost from $5 to $500. According to TopNet, “Freshman Design II,” a three credit hour Mechanical Engineering course in Ogden College, had a course fee of $275 in the fall. For the fall 2025 semester, it will only cost students $45.
Mathematics, also an Ogden College academic unit, had zero course fees in the fall 2024 semester, according to TopNet. In the fall 2025 semester, all mathematics courses will require a $15 per credit hour fee, meaning a typical course will cost $45.
Lux also said these new college fees will eliminate “large, unexpected expenses” for individual courses.
One WKU student, who requested to remain anonymous, told the Herald Monday that many students now face surprise course fees that were never communicated to them in advance.
“The university never formally notified students that these fees would be implemented this semester,” the student wrote via email. “These fees appeared without explanation when attempting to register, leaving students blindsided and scrambling to adjust their budgets.”
Lux said the academic deans plan to “send a correspondence to students” about the change this week.
“As a student, I find it unacceptable that such costly changes can be made without any clear communication or transparency,” the student said. “This situation raises serious concerns about accountability and fairness, especially for students already struggling to afford tuition and other expenses.”
Lux said that last year, Provost Fischer informed academic deans he “would accept proposals for college fees as an alternative to the numerous course fees.”
Lux also said the WKU Faculty Senate has “discussed the variability of these fees.”
A transition toward a standard fee is not new to WKU, though.
In 2015, the Gordon Ford College of Business implemented a $15 fee per credit hour attached to every class housed in the college. The former dean of Gordon Ford, Jeffrey Katz, had initiated a task force, headed by former Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Excellence Michelle Trawick, university administration, business professionals and Gordon Ford students, to evaluate what resources were needed in the college.
According to a report by the Herald in 2015, Gordon Emslie, a physics and astronomy professor who previously served as WKU’s Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, said the Gordon Ford fee goes toward providing services for students and making faculty selection more competitive.
“Additionally, Emslie noted, because the decision is made on the college level, there might be a chance that other colleges in the university could notice the amount of money being made and adopt their own student fees,” the Herald reported in 2015.
Here’s how each college is affected:
- CEBS will see a standard fee of $15 per credit hour. A “key advantage” of the fee structure is simplicity compared to a “complex system of varying fees” and will provide transparency, fairness and consistency, according to the CEBS website.
- Ogden College will see a fee of $15 per credit hour for all courses, excluding dual credit. Its website states the fee will allow for simplified and predictable billing, flexible funding for critical needs and high-cost experiential learning and spread out cost-bearing.
- The College of Health and Human Services will see a fee of $20 per credit hour for all courses except Doctor of Physical Therapy and dual credit. The CHHS website states that the college fee will “replace all existing course fees” and cover the annual cost of part-time faculty, the Student Wellness Experience, existing course fees and “other needs that directly benefit student success.”
- The Potter College of Arts & Letters will see a fee of $15 per credit hour for all undergraduate students, excluding those enrolled in dual credit courses. The fee will “simplify billing processes while ensuring adequate resources for innovative technology, equipment, and experiential learning opportunities that enhance student success,” according to the PCAL website.
- The GFCB fee will increase from $15 to $20 per credit hour, the first increase since the fee’s inception, according to the college’s website. The website states the adjustment is “necessary to keep pace with the rising costs of delivering high-quality student experiences, including increased opportunities for student travel to competitions, conferences, and networking events.”
Students can see their individual college fees through TopNet by navigating to:
- “Student Services”
- “Registration”
- “Schedule of Classes and ‘Look Up Classes to Add’”
- “Select by Term”
- Select desired subject(s)
- “Course Search”
Assistant Content Editor Cameron Shaw can be reached at cameron.shaw555@topper.wku.edu.
Content Editor Ali Costellow can be reached at ali.costellow453@topper.wku.edu.
News Reporter Libby Simpson conducted additional reporting.
