Fee Glossary
- Academic Excellence Fee
- These funds are used to enhance academic excellence at the University, including, especially, the hiring of faculty to teach additional course sections needed to meet student needs, reduction of class sizes to improve the quality of instruction, operation of instructional facilities to serve LSU's student population, and support services at the heart of the academic enterprise, notably libraries and computing.
- Auxiliary Enterprise Maintenance Fund
- This fund is used to help defray the cost associated with operating, maintaining and meeting the reporting requirements for all of the University Auxiliary Services.
- Auxiliary, Academic, and Operational Enterprise Maintenance Fund
- This fund is used to help defray the cost associated with auxiliary, academic, and other operational projects that have direct student benefit.
- BR Crisis Intervention (The Phone)
- This fee is used to help support The Phone, a twenty-four hour mental health telephone crisis intervention counseling and suicide prevention service operated by the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Inc. It has been affiliated with LSU since 1974.
- Building Use Fee
- This fee is used to help construct, acquire, repair, maintain, operate, or improve the facilities and physical infrastructure of the University.
- Campus Life Support
- This fee is dedicated to the Office of Campus Life, which provides hundreds of social, cultural, recreational and service programs for the campus each year. The Office of Campus Life provides students with opportunities to serve the campus in a variety of leadership and other volunteer positions. Examples of programs supported by this fee include speakers, art gallery exhibits, films, theatrical presentations, dances, concerts and entertainment events.
- Facilities Access
- This fee provides monies to aid in the process of bringing all facilities up to Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
- Golf
- This fee helps to supplement the revenue and aid in the expense of maintaining the LSU Golf Course. For this fee, each full-time student receives a discounted green fee.
- Gumbo/Yearbook
- These funds pay for production of the student-produced yearbook that has become a vital part of the LSU tradition. Each year, the Gumbo captures a slice of campus life for future trips down the Tigers' Memory Lane.
- International Cultural Center
- Each LSU non-immigrant student will be charged $10 per semester to support the programs, operations, and maintenance of the International Cultural Center.
- International Students Status Compliance
- The implementation of this service charge will allow the LSU International Services Office to meet federal mandates and continue to provide the best information and professional services to the international population at LSU.
- KLSU Radio
- This fee supports the University's student-run, 5000-watt FM radio station, which is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. KLSU offers the campus and surrounding area an alternative music format and popular specialty shows, and ranks among the top ten radio stations in its market.
- Legacy
- This fee is used to produce the University's student-edited feature magazine, published twice in the fall semester and twice in the spring semester. The magazine offers campus-oriented feature stories and entertainment. It also provides a hands on laboratory experience for students interested in writing, photography, and design.
- LSU –TV
- This fee supports Tiger TV which broadcasts live news, sports and entertainment programs via livestream on their website and rebroadcasts on a local channel.
- Mass Transit System
- This fee is used to support the intra and off-campus bus system that provides transportation from highly populated student areas in and around campus. The fee also allows for any full-time student who presents his/her student ID to ride any other bus in the city for free.
- Nonresident Fee
- This fee is assessed to students who are classified as nonresident for fee assessment purposes. LSU is partially funded by the state of Louisiana and its residents through a variety of taxes. A Louisiana resident pays a lower cost because they and/or their family also support the university through tax dollars. The nonresident fee is assessed in lieu of that tax support contributed by state residents and is unrelated to whether a course is delivered in-person or online.
- Organization Programming & Support
- These funds provide funding for new student organizations and support organizations for items such as hosting conferences, sports clubs, and hosting late-night programs for students.
- Organizational Relief Fund
- These funds service to provide travel funds for worthy campus organizations that incur travel expenses during the academic year. These funds allow campus organizations to represent LSU throughout the nation.
- Operational Fee
- Imposed by the 2004 Legislature to cover unfunded state mandates which include increases in retirement system costs and health insurance costs not funded through the state general fund appropriation and enhance instructional programs at the University.
- Performing Arts Fee
- These funds are to provide direct benefits by (1) supporting new programs/events in music, theater, and dance, and (2) by supplementing and enhancing existing programs now offered by the LSU Union Program Board.
- Registration Fee
- A nonrefundable fee assessed to full-time and part-time students for completion of the registration process.
- Reveille
- This fee is used to produce the University's student-edited newspaper, which is published Monday through Friday during fall and spring semesters and on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the summer. The newspaper provides up-to-date campus oriented news and entertainment and serves as a student forum. In addition, the Reveille provides a hands-on laboratory experience for students interested in journalism, photography, design, advertising, business management, computers, etc.
- SG Newspaper Initiative
- These funds are used to purchase newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for students.
- SG Programming Support & Initiatives
- These funds are used to cover any expenses incurred in the establishment of the Student Government Spring Concert event, Homecoming Concert event, and paid admission concert series, and to provide relief funding for Recreational Sports Club teams, Organization creation, and LSU Student Organization sponsored conferences. Three dollars ($3.00) will be allocated to the Spring Concert, thirty cents ($.30) will be allocated to Homecoming, ten cents ($.10) will be allocated to the New Initiatives Programming Fund, twenty-five cents ($.25) will be allocated to Testing Materials Fund, twenty cents ($.20) will be allocated to Recreational Sports assistance, one dollar ($1.00) will be allocated to Late Night Programming (fall semester only), and sixty-five cents ($.65) will be allocated to Organization Initiatives, and the Conference Support Fund.
- Student Excellence Fee
- This fee is used to fund both academic colleges and campus-wide support functions for the purpose of enhancing the student experience both in and out of the classroom. The fee supports existing faculty as well as related priorities such as providing additional instructors and teaching assistants to open more class sections where needed to reduce class size and to enhance supplemental instruction activities intent on increasing retention and graduation rates via more individualized instruction for at-risk students. In addition, funds are used to enhance other academic support and campus-wide operations to ensure adequate services for all students.
- Student Government Association
- This fee provides money for the Student Senate to allocate to student groups who are in need of financial assistance. The day-to-day operations and expenses required to run the SGA office also come from the Student Government Fee. The fee assessed by Student Government is vital to the voice of the students being heard on the LSU campus.
- Student Government Initiatives
- Student Government has become a major programmer at the University and because of its involvement with the oversight groups and its budget comprised of student funds, SG has not submitted any proposals for the programming monies. The Student Government Initiatives fee gives SG the chance to budget this money at the beginning of the year and plan programs that will enrich the University community.
- Student Health Center
- The Student Health Fee entitles full-time students access to Student Health Center services such as unlimited visits to the primary care clinicians, mental health clinicians and registered dietitians. Medical procedures, laboratory, pharmacy and diagnostic imaging services are available for an additional charge.
- Student Media
- This fee supports the Office of Student Media, which provides a variety of student-run media, offering the campus news, features and entertainment. The Office of Student Media administers the student-run newspaper, yearbook, radio station, cable television station, and magazine.
- Student Services Maintenance Fund
- This fund is used to help defray the cost associated with operating, maintaining and meeting the reporting requirements for Student Life and Academic Services.
- Student Sports Recreation
- These funds are used to support and maintain the Student Recreational Sports Complex including the outdoor field spaces.
- Student Technology Fee
- This fee is assessed at $5.00 per credit hour up to a maximum of $75 per semester. This fee is dedicated to the acquisition, installation, maintenance, and intelligent use of state-of-the-art technology solely for the purpose of supporting and enhancing student life and learning and of preparing graduates for the workplaces of the twenty-first century.
- Sustainability Fee
- The LSU Student Sustainability Fund will allow for students, faculty, and staff to obtain funding for specific projects that increase sustainability, biodiversity, or eco-friendly technologies on campus.
- Tuition
- A charge to student for instructional services that may be charged per term, per course, or per credit. Tuition does not include student activity or special user fees, the additional charge based on distinctions between resident and nonresident students, special course fees and fees for other services.
- Union Fee
- This fee entitles all full-time students to the privileges of Membership in the Union. The fee is used to provide many of the services in the Union, such as the lounges and study areas which are open 7am to 11pm daily, meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms for use by student organizations and other groups, information services, and for student jobs in a variety of service areas. These funds are also used to amortize the bonds used to construct the building and subsequent additions.
- Union Maintenance Fund
- The Union is funded entirely through student fees and funds generated through leased operations and other services. This fund is used to help defray the costs of operating the LSU Union facility - arrangements for over 5,000 meetings and events per year, maintenance, housekeeping and the personnel costs of providing these services. It also is a source of funds for renovations, repairs and improvements to the facility, equipment and furnishings.
- Union Renovation Fee
- This fee is dedicated to the renovation and expansion of the Student Union. The project renovated the existing building and added 50,000 square feet of space to create new meeting rooms and lounge space, expand the Tiger Lair, improve the Union Theatre, and provide new spaces for retail.
- Utility Surcharge
- These funds are used to meet energy costs which exceed the university's allotted energy budget. All funds collected are restricted and can only be applied to energy costs that exceed the energy budget. These funds are used only after all budgeted state dollars for utilities are expended. Utility costs are monitored in order to adjust the charge up or down as needed.
- Veterinary School Graduate Student Travel Fund
- This fund assists veterinary students who are traveling to an externship or attending a conference as a representative of LSU.
- Women's Mass Transit
- Campus Transit provides door-to-door service seven days a week, 5 p.m.-midnight, to and from any campus location.