How does the university spend the money collected from the various mandatory fees you pay?
This month, we’ll break down how your money is spent on programs and services, facilities, and technology. Take a moment to learn more about the technology fee below.
Technology Fee
The technology fee is a $12-per-credit-hour fee, with a cap of $100, that is assessed each semester to all students. The fee provides technology resources for students on campus.
Approximately $2.6 million is collected from the fee and helps fund the Office of Information Technology (OIT) help desk, support for faculty using technology in the classroom, uTrack, and UT’s mobile app and software among other resources.
The fee also supports several student computer labs on campus, including labs in Commons North and South, Art and Architecture, Humanities and Social Sciences, and more. In larger computer labs, equipment is rotated every three years. About $150,000 is spent annually on equipment in OIT’s student computer labs.
Students also receive free computer support in Commons North in Hodges Library. They can drop off their computer for in-depth troubleshooting or stop by for quick assistance with things like accessing UT’s wireless network.
Part of the revenue is shared with all eleven colleges, University Libraries, and Student Affairs to support technology involved in instruction and programming for students.
Operating costs for the staff involved in technology services are paid for through this fee. This includes the employment of seventy-five student workers, nineteen full-time staff, and eleven graduate students.
The Technology Fee Advisory Committee is made up of students, faculty, and staff who annually review all plans, deliverables, and proposals to ensure effective use of the funds.
The committee includes representatives from the Student Government Association, Graduate Student Association, Academic Affairs, the Division of Student Life, the Council of Academic Deans, faculty, Business and Finance, and the Office of Information Technology.
A five-student subcommittee serves in an advisory capacity to analyze student needs and recommend plans and expenditures to the larger committee.
Interested in serving? Speak to the Student Government Association about future opportunities. SGA’s president annually appoints seven students to the advisory board.
Click here for the UT technology fee breakdown spreadsheet.
For more information on student fees, click here.