Students at Slippery Rock University are gearing up to start classes Monday, and the cost of attending college likely is on the minds of students and parents alike.

Tuition for full-time state residents at SRU is $3,311 per semester. However, there are seven other fees that all students have to pay in addition to their tuition.

Although this can be complicated, SRU spokesman Karl Schwab said it makes sense to break out all of the fees because tuition is set by the State System of Higher Education board for all 14 of its universities, but all of the universities have different programs and facilities.

Because of this, different state universities may have fewer fees or more fees.

“This allows the universities to be different and offer different services,” said Schwab.

At SRU, full-time students pay a $145 health center fee that goes to the McLachlan Student Health Center.

Two fees, the student activity fee and the academic enhancement fee, are equal to a percentage of the tuition. The percentage is set by SRU's council of trustees.

“If tuition goes up, they go up,” Schwab said.

The student activity fee is 5.25 percent of tuition, or $174 this year.

The academic enhancement fee is 10 percent of tuition, or $331.10 this year.

The student center fee, which is $195.50 for full-time students and funds the Robert M. Smith Student Center, and the recreation center fee, which is $110 for full-time students and funds the Aebersold Recreation Center, were voted on by SRU students.

The student life enhancement fee funds residence hall programming as well as other student life functions, such as the counseling center. The fee is $5 per credit.

The technology fee, which covers any technology owned by the university and used on campus, is set by the state system board. This year, it is $184 for full-time students.

An in-state student taking a 15-credit class load will see a total bill of $4,528 for a semester this year.

Nearby Grove City College does not charge any across the board student fees.

“It's all included in the tuition,” said Roger Towle, vice president for financial affairs.

He said that across the board fees do not exist at the college as a way of keeping payment simple and keeping costs down.

However, he said there are some fees that certain students pay. He said education majors pay $525 in student teaching fees for every semester they student teach.

Music students who take private lessons pay $350 for every semester they take weekly private lessons. Students who choose to study abroad will pay a $300 fee.

Tuition at the college is $7,440 per semester. Classes start Monday.

At Butler County Community College, where classes also begin Monday, in-county students pay $124 in tuition per credit. Of that cost, $93 covers the courses and $31 is a “comprehensive fee.”

Jim Hrabosky, vice president for administration and finance, said this fee covers items such as campus maintenance, computer software and parking lot upkeep.

“It's being used to enhance the student experience while at BC3,” Hrabosky said.

He said it is much simpler to have one large fee rather than having separate fees to cover more specific costs.

“We found that many parents and students got frustrated by that,” Hrabosky said. “We really tried to simplify that.”

Although not across the board, there are a couple other extra fees that only some BC3 students pay.

Students who take some science courses pay an extra $25 per course in lab fees. Students taking online classes pay an extra $15 per credit.