The Nevada Sagebrush

The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents raised class-specific fees and created a new doctoral program in its last meeting of the year last week in Las Vegas.

The fee increases, the broadest of which were for online Independent Learning courses, were to make up for rising costs normally covered by the special fees, the Regents said.

The Independent Learning fees were raised from $148 to $156 per credit for undergraduate courses and $227 to $253 per credit for graduate courses.

The fee increases for UNR students were less than those affecting University of Nevada, Las Vegas students, especially those taking clinical science classes.

Special fees for some of those classes quadrupled from $50 to $200. In contrast, the largest increase in a special class fee at UNR was from $20 to $67, for a forestry class whose cost will actually drop for students because course material paid for by the fee will replace a $98 textbook.

As part of the fee package, the regents also approved new meal plans for students living on campus at UNR. The new meal plans, which was met with resistance from some students when proposed earlier this fall, feature more meals for a small increase but eliminates the popular rollover feature. The feature turned unused meals into Rollover Bucks that could be used to buy food at university-owned restaurants such as Villa Pizza.

Also approved by the regents was a new doctorate of nursing practice program, which will focus on clinical practice rather than research as the current Ph.D. program does. The new degree will be taught by the Orvis School of Nursing at UNR in conjunction with the UNLV School of Nursing and will require classes at both institutions.

By the numbers

A look at the fee raises approved at the meeting.

18 dollars per credit is the rise in undergraduate fees for Independent Learning classes

47 dollars was the largest class fee increase for a foresty class. The new fee is $67.

Jay Balagna can be reached at jbalagna@nevadasagebrush.com.

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