Undergraduate University students will shell out more money to attend the University this semester compared to last fall.The increases in tuition and required fees for full-time students total $210 for instate undergrads and $428 for nonresident undergrads. While some fees continue to rise, the University did not charge the Utility Surcharge fee this semester.Last fall, the University assessed a $8.60 per credit hour Utility Surcharge fee on student’s fee bills. This semester, the University will not assess a Utility Surcharge. With the increases in tuition and fees coupled with the reduction of the Utility Surcharge fee, the average resident undergraduate will pay $81 more this semester than last fall. Nonresident undergraduates will pay a total of $299 more this semester than fall 2008. From 2005 to 2008, undergraduate tuition for in-state students stayed at $1,496 in the fall semester and $1,485.25 in the spring semester. Since then, tuition increased to its current level of  $1,740 for this fall semester and $1,729 for the spring semester. Bob Kuhn, vice-provost of fiscal management, said although the cost of attending the University has increased, attending the University is still cheaper when compared to its peer institutions, which are decided by seven factors used to create a pool of fiscally similar Universities.The undergraduate tuition and required fees for 2008-2009 school year were $5,010, which is less than the $7,041 average cost of attending peer universities, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.Because of a 5 percent tuition increase, full-time University undergrads will pay $127 more than fall 2008 for tuition this semester.Act 915, or State House Bill 734, of the 2008 regular legislative session authorized tuition increases up to 5 percent for public education institutions for the 2008-09 through 2011-12 school years, Kuhn said.Nonresident students will pay $345 more in tuition because of the tuition increase coupled with a 5 percent nonresident fee increase.”In my opinion, if the state gave us enough money, students wouldn’t have to pay anything,” Kuhn said. “We just want enough money to be a competitive research university.”Kuhn said the rate of tuition reflects the amount of state appropriated funds.Aside from tuition, students will also pay $83 more this semester than the fall 2008 University required fees, according to data provided by Tommy Smith, budget director for the Office of Budget and Planning.Students also paid $22 more for the mass transit fee.Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking and Transportation, said the Transit fee increased to offset the costs for the new bus system.In addition to Mass Transit fee, the student health service fee increased $12. Former Student Government President Colorado Robertson was on the University’s Student Required Fee Advisory Committee, which makes fee change suggestions to the chancellor.  The chancellor then    proposes the fees to the Board of Supervisors, which has ultimate control of the fees, Robertson said.Robertson said the health service fee increased because of increasing health care costs.”Doctors are expensive,” Robertson said. “The Health Center is being used more and more and the cost of healthcare has gone up. So we had to increase the money put into the Health Center for it to continue offering all the services.”The Student Union renovation fee increased $15. Robertson said the Union renovation fee is scheduled to increase every few years to pay the costs of Union construction.The Student Sports Recreation fee increased by $32. Robertson said the student recreation fee was increased to pay the debt servicing of construction of weight rooms built a few years back. In two years, the debt servicing will be paid so the fee will be reduced at that point.The Union and Campus Life fees increased $1 each.”I pay over $7,600 to come to school here,” said Emad Alomar, civil engineering sophomore. “So I guess something like paying $22 more for buses doesn’t seem like a big deal.”—-Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at [email protected]