Student-Initiated Fees: Unrecognized Policy Design in the Tuition Politics and Fiscal Conditions of Public Universities

• In Event: Policy Innovation and Future Trends

Abstract

While students at public universities have often protested tuition increases proposed by Trustees/Regents, students have also initiated fee increases on their own accord. Using university archives and student government documents, I find that student-initiated fees generate revenue for specific fiscal priorities and are often designed to earmark benefits for low-income and underrepresented student groups. My findings on student-initiated fees also suggest that students may showcase a degree of support for progressive tuition models.

Author

• Jazz Kiang, University of California - Los Angeles