Description of tuition and fees
Effective June 22, 2005 (page updated November 2007)
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Contents of this page:
This page has two sections -- one that describes tuition (immediately below) and one that describes fees. Go to the section about fees.
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Tuition provides funding for salaries and benefits, some student services, physical plant maintenance and utilities. Tuition for Ohio residents is subsidized in part by the state, which explains why residents and nonresidents are charged different rates:
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Ohio resident tuition
The Ohio resident tuition is the instructional fee that is assessed to all students. It is based on:
Ohio law requires that the Non-resident Tuition Surcharge also be applied to male students between the ages of 18 and 26 who are Ohio residents and who have not provided verification of Selective Service registration. See Selective Service Surcharge below.
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About the Tuition Plateau
(applies to Ohio residents only)
Undergraduate students with Ohio residency who take 13-15 credit hours during a semester are charged for only 12 credit hours of tuition. This common practice of charging the same amount for a range of credit hours during a semester is called a tuition plateau.
Akron's tuition plateau is 12-15 credit hours, which is consistent with the Ohio Board of Regents' designation of 15 credit hours as a full load. Students who take more than 15 credit hours in a semester will be responsible for tuition for each additional credit hour beyond 15. Credit-hour-based charges for the General Fee and the Facilities Fee reach maximum levels at 12 credit hours and are not affected by the plateau change.
The calculation process affects undergraduate students who take more than 15 credit hours and those who take classes at both Wayne College or the Medina County University Center and the Main Campus in Akron.
When you are adding credit hours to determine if the total falls within the plateau, the calculation can include only those hours that cost the same amount. In other words, you cannot combine credit hours at the Wayne campus with those taken at the Main Campus because the rates are dissimilar.
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Nonresident tuition surcharge
Students who are not Ohio residents are assessed a nonresident surcharge plus Ohio resident tuition. The total cost is based on:
- the number of credit hours taken (the tuition plateau above does not apply),
- status (undergraduate/graduate/MBA/professional); and
- for undergraduates, where classes are taken (Main Campus, Summit College (formerly the Community and Technical College), or Wayne College).
For qualified students who are residents of another U.S. state or territory, The University of Akron offers a significant adjustment in the tuition surcharge. Learn more.
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See our rate charts for specific tuition figures. Read about our tuition policy.
ABOUT FEES
This section decribes the various fees that may be assessed. Each discription includes the cost, what the fee pays for and to whom it applies.
General Service Fee
The General Service Fee supports student activities and support services, including health services, the Student Center, intramurals/facilities, intercollegiate athletics, University Program Board, and other co-curricular activities.
It is assessed to all students and is based on credit hours taken, standing (undergraduate, graduate, MBA or professional) and, for undergraduates, the location where classes are taken (Main Campus, Summit College, the Medina County University Center or Wayne College). Please see our tuition charts for more information on specific general surcharge rates.
Facilities Fee
Facilities Fee funds are used to retire the debt incurred for the construction of the Student Union and the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, both of which opened in 2005. The fee also helps offset operational expenses in those buildings. The rates are:
| Rank |
Amount per credit hour |
Maximum that can be
charged in any one term |
| Undergraduate |
$18.55 |
$222.60 |
| Graduate and law |
$11.15 |
$133.80 |
Students who take their classes at Wayne College are not assessed the facilities fee.
Student monies are not being used to finance any other new construction. Other building projects are paid with state capital funds and/or private gifts that are restricted to use for construction or renovation.
Selective Service Surcharge
Ohio Law (Section 3345.32 O.R.C.) requires that male students between the ages of 18 and 26 who are Ohio residents must register for Selective Service and verify that they have registered with the Selective Service in order to be considered in-state residents to attend Ohio public colleges and universities. Failure to register with the Selective Service and provide verification of such will result, as the law stipulates, in the assessment of the Nonresident Tuition Surcharge.
Affected students may have the Nonresident Tuition Surcharge removed by providing the required Selective Service number to the Registrar's Office by telephone at 330-972-7838, by e-mail at veterans@uakron.edu or in person in Simmons Hall room 120. To register for the Selective Service or to locate a lost or non-received Selective Service number, you may contact the Selective Service System on the web at http://www.sss.gov/regist.htm or call 1-847-688-6888.
Administrative Fee
The Administrative Fee of $12 covers numerous routine services including schedule changes, graduation, and transcripts. The fee does not apply to undergraduate students who have completed 96 or more credit hours, or to high school students taking University courses (post-secondary option).
Library Fee
All students -- except freshmen (those with less than 32 credit hours), law school students and Wayne College students -- are assessed a Library Fee for the exclusive use by University Libraries to build sufficient collections to support the curriculum through investments in journals, books, online electronic resources and media collections.
The fee is $3 per credit hour, except for students in Summit College, who pay $2 a credit hour.
Technology Fee
The Technology Fee is $13.20 per credit hour for undergraduates and $16.25 per credit hour for graduate students. It does not apply to freshmen (those who have completed less than 32 credit hours). The Technology Fee funds:
- new and enhanced computer labs, equipment, and software;
- more computers for student use;
- high-speed wireless networking throughout Akron and Wayne campuses;
- improved dial-up access to the University's online systems;
- availability of 150 wireless, state-of-the-art laptop computers for checkout from Bierce Library;
- technology enhanced classrooms throughout campus;
- new and upgraded technology for teaching laboratories; and
- "ZipLine," the personalized, 24-hour University intranet for online research, e-mail, course registration and individual calendars.
Engineering Infrastructure Fee
A fee of $15 per credit hour is assessed on all engineering courses to provide the up-to-date software and equipment required to train students appropriately in this highly technical discipline with rapidly changing technology needs.
Career Advantage Services Fee
The Career Advantage Services Fee is $2 per credit hour. It does not apply to freshmen (defined as those who have completed less than 32 credit hours) or to graduate students.
The Career Advantage Fee supports the Career Advantage Network, which provides opportunities for internships, co-operative education, practicum, clinical/field-based experiences, student teaching, service learning, and other professional-level, experiential learning for qualified students.
Developmental Support Fee
The Developmental Support Fee is $7 per credit hour. It applies only to students taking developmental (or remedial) courses with a subject of 2010 (formerly 1020), typically called (1) developmental programs or (2) special topics, developmental programs. The fee is assessed to only credit hours for developmental courses. Credit hours for non-developmental courses would not be subject to this fee.
The Developmental Support Fee funds:
- necessary tutoring for students taking developmental courses; and
- intensive academic advising for students taking developmental courses.
Course Fees
Some courses carry an additional fee. The fees for individual courses are listed on pages 52-61 of the UA Undergraduate Bulletin. Please note that fees may change without notice.
For workshops and special-topics courses that are offered irregularly, the fees may not be listed in the bulletin. Please consult with the sponsoring department to learn about required course material and fees for those classes.
Additional notes:
- Some fees -- notably the Library Fee, the Technology Fee and the Career Advantage Fee -- are assessed to undergraduates at the sophomore level and above (those who have completed 32 credit hours or more). As a result, students can expect their costs to increase slightly in their second year.
- If credit hours are updated for students who transfer or take credit by exam after a billing date for the term, the student may be reclassified from a freshman to a sophomore or higher. If this happens, the student would be assessed the Library Fee, the Technology Fee and the Career Advantage Fee for the current term as is described in the previous note.
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