Neenah Mendez is a third-year student and resident adviser at San Diego State University.
She’s already seen her education costs go up in recent years because of tuition increases across the California State University system.
“My family is not very high income, so it’s required me to put in a lot of effort to go out of my way to get opportunities that are going to be beneficial for financing my education,” Mendez said.
Now she’s concerned about a new cost that may be included in her schooling.
Students already pay $290 a semester for an Instructionally Related Activities fee. Those activities mostly include athletics with a smaller amount for academic success centers and other expenses.
SDSU’s Campus Fee Advisory Committee is recommending raising the fee over a four-year period. The recommendation starts with an increase of $60 a semester in the next school year and goes up to $120 a semester by the 2029 academic year.
It’s a reduction from the original proposal. The first version saw fees jump to $130 a semester starting in fall of 2026. Still, it's added cost, said Mendez.
“I think it definitely will be an additional stressor to students here,” she said.
The school said the fee will create a more stable and predictable source of funding for student athletes and those involved in club sports, and that source will not be tied to fluctuations in the state budget.
The committee got feedback on the plan through something called Alternative Consultation. They held a series of 12 campus forums to present arguments in favor and against the proposal.
Mendez disagrees with that approach.
“The system that they have set up in order for students to give feedback about the fee is inherently unfair — it's not a student vote, which I think that it should have been,” she said.
SDSU declined a request for an interview.
On its website, the school said financial aid can be applied to the fee since it is mandatory. The school also said the majority of the fee increase will go toward repairs and maintenance of shared athletics facilities and student athlete well-being.
“A Division 1 Athletic program adds to the national stature and reputation of a university. The recognition the university receives from its sports programs translates directly into alumni and donor support for the university,” the university website said.
The IRA fee will not be used for costs associated with Snapdragon Stadium, commercial marketing deals made by student athletes, or for SDSU’s move to the Pac-12 Conference, SDSU said.
“It's being framed in a way that they really need the help and that the student body should be responsible for assisting them,” Mendez said. “When in reality, I think SDSU needs to do a better job appropriating their funds to support those student athletes on campus.”
SDSU president Adela de la Torre has the final say on the matter. The university has not provided an expected timeline for that decision.
