The “UCSA Fee” is a UC-wide optional fee that undergraduate students at every UC campus can choose to pay for the purpose of funding the University of California Student Association, the student-run and state-recognized organization that represents all 230,000+ UC undergraduate students at the University, state, and federal levels.
How much does the fee cost?
The UCSA Fee costs $7 annually per undergraduate student, which will be prorated by academic term.
Is the UCSA Fee mandatory?
No, the UCSA Fee is a non-mandatory systemwide fee and can be opted out of at any term.
Why is the UCSA Fee being implemented?
UCSA has historically been funded by a volatile system of association membership dues that fluctuate wildly each year. Challenging economic times have often limited representation in UCSA, depriving tens of thousands of students from access to decision-makers. Interest for a systemwide fee paid directly by students to support UCSA has remained constant for several years, especially since the California State Student Association and Student Senate for California Community Colleges have successfully implemented a similar funding model. In July 2021, the UC Board of Regents recognized the need to fund and sustain student advocacy and approved the UCSA Fee which now allows students to directly pay into their representative body and critical advocacy initiatives that have proven transformative to the student experience.
What does the UCSA Fee fund?
The fee helps support funding for the UC Student Association, which advocates on behalf of all undergraduate students’ interests by pushing policies at the University, state, and federal levels that benefit current and prospective students. For instance, the UCSA strategizes for systemwide change by lobbying the UC President and Board of Regents in favor of student priorities to address urgent issues pertaining to college accessibility, affordability, and quality. Additionally, the fee will cover conference planning for three major events: the Student Organizing Summit, Students of Color Conference, and Student Lobby Conference. It also allows UCSA to fund a Hill Day, where student advocates from across the UC travel to Washington D.C. to advance important legislation in Congress. The fee also covers costs for year-long student campaigns that focus on addressing student basic needs, diversity issues, voting rights, and disability access, among many other issues that are directly voted on by students at the UCSA Student Organizing Summit in August.
Where can I view and pay the UCSA Fee?
The fee will be listed on students’ billing statement with other fees and included in the total amount due for that billing period. It will be listed on the billing statement as the “UCSA Fee”.
How can I opt out of the fee?
Each student’s billing statement will include annotation explaining that a student can opt-out of the fee and will provide the necessary information about the opt-out process.
When will the fee be implemented?
The fee will go into effect Fall 2022 and a prorated amount of it will be assessed at the beginning of each academic term.
Do I have to opt-out each academic year if I wish to not pay the fee?
No. Once a student opts out of the fee at their UC campus, they will remain in the opt-out status for the remainder of their undergraduate career at that campus.
What happens if I transfer to a different UC campus?
A student will need to opt-out of the fee once again at their new campus (if they continue to wish to opt-out).
Can I reverse my opt-out status?
Yes, a student may elect to reverse their opt-out status and begin paying the fee once again.
When is the fee opt-out deadline?
Campus deadlines for a student to opt-out vary by campus, as early as the fee payment deadline to no later than the third week of the quarter or fifth week of the semester.
What will happen if I don’t pay the fee?
Failure to pay the UCSA Fee in any given academic term without opting out shall not be interpreted as failure to pay required fees for registration purposes. Therefore, a student’s registration will not be held up, nor will a student be dropped from classes, because he UCSA Fee was not paid.
What happens if I don’t pay the full amount of my campus fees?
If a student underpays their fees, the UCSA Fee will be included on late bills sent to the student but should not have negative consequences on a student’s enrollment status.
Who can I contact if I have further questions?
Please contact our UCSA Executive Director at ed@ucsa.org if you have additional questions about the UCSA Fee or if you wish to seek opportunities for involvement with the organization.
