Bill to Extend Cap on Student Fees - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Bill to Extend Cap on Student Fees

North Dakota legislators start their first day of hearings in the 2013 session.

The Senate Education Committee is looking at a bill that continues the efforts to limit student fee increases.

The bill would limit student fees through 2015.

Currently, a state college or university can not raise mandatory fees by more than 1 percent each year with limited exceptions.

The mandatory fees are separate from program fees which relate to tuition.

Students say they'd like lawmakers to make the cap on mandatory fees permanent.

Jody Ferris representing the ND Student Association says, "this limitation prevents mandatory fees from increasing in an overly dramatic fashion that would put a financial burden on North Dakota University system students, which they may not be adequately able to prepare for. A limitation of mandatory fee increases, allows students to better predict the cost of a college education to make the best plans to finance their education."

Ferris says in her four years at Dickinson State, she has paid $4,500 in mandatory fees.

Three colleges have been given special exception to increase fees since 2011, they are Dickinson State, Williston State and Bismarck State.

In those cases, students voted to approve the fee increase.