Complaint Review: Florida International University

I enrolled as a graduate student at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami for the 2012-2013 academic year. I expected to pay the normal rate of graduate tuition, which was $422.16 at the time. Approximately three months after students committed to enroll, we received a letter announcing an orientation meeting. In the letter was the first direct mention that the program required a fee, in addition to normal tuition, of $230.00 per credit. This added $13,800.00 to the cost of the program. The only other mention of this fee was a chart on the department's webpages, which students were not directed to view, and which was difficult to locate. Three other sources in the university's webpages disclosing the normal rate of graduate tuition made no mention that particular departments may charge a variant rate of tuition or a fee in the amount of thousands of dollars per semester. Other universities offering the same program were not charging any such fee or tuition above the normal rate.

In inquiring about the purpose and propriety of the fee, I found out that in 2005, when the fee was initiated, and in 2008, when it was greatly increased, it was never brought before FIU's Board of Trustees, which is a requirement when any fee or variant tuition is charged.  The fee was also "assessed" and "approved" by using a continuing education regulation, and the program was not a continuing education program. This was done to avoid disclosing the fee to the Board of Governors (the state-level authority over public universities). Continuing education is administered on the university level, whereas decisions regarding tuition and fees in regular programs must be approved by the Board of Governors.

I firmly believe that this fee, called "tuition plus," was not legally or procedurally correctly assessed and approved.  I should not have been charged it (it was deducted along with normal tuition from student loans).  I have received no assistance from either FIU or the Board of Governors to obtain compensation from this money that was wrongfully charged.