Death Grips: The Money

news 3 the wichitan thewichitan.com — your campus / your news Wednesday — December 5, 2012 Course and testing fees to increase next Spring

Makayla Kinney Staff Writer

Next semester, students will be seeing a slight increase in testing feeds, but it might not affect their checkbooks.

Career Management Center and testing services director Dirk Welch explained testing fees increase due to an increase in the cost of providing testing services. These changes are a direct result in costs increasing to administer the exams.

“It could be a response to increased postage costs to mail back paper or pencil tests or increased test booklet costs to give the exam or increased licensing fees to offer the test or increased costs to have the test scored,” Welch said.

One test seeing an increase of $10 is the Score It Now exam.

This test is a Graduate Record Examination analytic writing practice exam taken by students for graduate admittance.

This test is taken as a preparation tool for the GRE writing section. This testing fee is increasing due to increased costs in test administration.

“While Score It Now is often used as a preparation tool for the GRE Analytic Writing Section, the West College of Education allows graduate applicants, who score below the required admittance level on the GRE Analytic Writing Section, to take the Score It Now as an alternative to retaking the entire GRE,” Welch said. Not all universities allow graduate applicants to take the Score It Now in place of retaking the entire GRE.

“Individuals applying to MSU’s West College of Education programs are getting a price break option,” Welch said.

The cost to take the GRE each time is $205.

“If the only area that needs to be improved upon is the Analytic Writing Section, the Score It Now option only costs $30.00,” Welch said.

Another exam seeing an increase in testing fees is the Correspondence exam.

This test is either a paper-based, distance learning or web-based exam proctored at the testing center. These exams are course specific.

“Testers are taking an exam requiring official proctoring for a course registered though MSU or for a course taken through another institution,” Welch said.

Welch said these fees may not affect students at all.

If students never have to take the Score It Now or a correspondence exam, fees will never be encountered because they are not mandatory charges that affect all enrolled students.

According to Welch, last year approximately eight percent of student population took either the Score it Now or a correspondence exam.

“The testing fee increase was modest and in line with or below what other testing center operations charge,” Welch said.

According to Welch, Vernon College charges $15 for correspondence exams which is the same price MSU offers.

Welch said other universities charge a minimum of $30 per correspondence exam or charge an hourly fee.

Another increasing fee is the instruction enhancement fee.

This fee is identical to the course fees students pay for classes.

Provost and vice president for academic affairs Betty Stewart said it provides any necessary funds needed to support the teaching of courses.

“The administration decided to switch from course fees to instructional enhancement fees because the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board limits the way course fees can be used to support courses. The instructional enhancement fee does not have these same limitations,” Stewart said.

This fee applies to all students taking courses at MSU.

The total of course fee budget for all colleges is $1.2 million.

The College of Health and Sciences has the highest course fee budget, $507,836.

Some courses in individual colleges may increase while others decrease.

Course fees could raise as high as $55 for the College of Health Sciences and Human Services.

“The net revenue for the university will not change from the collected as course fees,” Stewart said.

University Vice President Keith Lamb explained the increase in testing fees will not affect the majority of the student population.

From 2011 through 2012, 15 students took the Score It Now exam and 500 took correspondence exams.

“The vast major of our students never take the Score It Now exam, or have an exam proctored in the testing center,” Lamb said. “It is important to note the increases are modest, in-line with other centers and have not been increased in a number of years. These services are available to non-MSU students as well.

How to save money on tests, books and course fees while in College

Shop/Rent online - Students can save stacks of green by buying or renting textbooks online. While it might not be as convenient as simply going to the bookstore, it will definitely pay off later on. Be prepared - Students often have to retake a course or a test, because they did not prepare well. Put in those extra hours studying to save some cash.

Pick with caution - Make sure to be in touch with your adviser before signing up for classes. Taking courses you won’t need to graduate is money you could’ve saved. 1.

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