From the beginning of our student journey at Fresno State, we are expected to pay fees. Starting with Dog Days, a mandatory campus orientation, incoming students must pay an $83 fee to attend the event. 

Since Fresno State is also a commuter university, students will likely have to purchase a parking permit, which adds $93 per semester, or $186 for the annual pass. 

When paying for student charges in your account, you have to pay a credit card fee on top of your student debt. It may be a small additional charge, but it feels like we’re being drained for all our worth while we’re here at Fresno State. 

But even still, there is one additional charge that students need to pay before walking out the door.

The fee to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State is $63. According to Laura Yager, the interim director of Undergraduate Admissions, $20 of the fee goes to that department.

“Our portion of the fee goes toward processing every undergraduate graduation application, as well as the cost to order and ship the diploma for awarded students,” Yager said.

It may not seem like a lot of money to pay toward graduation, but it can come off as a slap in the face, regardless of how the money is being spent on your graduation. 

You’ve spent four years working hard toward your education, paying fees as they come andgo, and just when the relief of finally submitting your application to finish off your undergrad life sets in, you get hit with another fantastic fee.

It’s disheartening, especially since we already spent all this money on our recently increased tuition. Since agreeing to join the Pac-12, our tuition and fees have gone up by at least $500, so the grad fee on top of that is unwelcome, to say the least. 

This can be emotionally straining on us students, who are still trying to get on our feet in all aspects of our lives. Adding all these fees on top can cause more stress to us and a sense of betrayal. 

Diego Pantoja, a Fresno State student majoring in Media, Communication and Journalism, said that it is not necessary for the graduation application fee to be enforced.

“It feels kinda dumb knowing just the amount of tuition going for four years, or if you’re planning to do more after that, why do you need to pay $63 for an achievement?” Pantoja said.

It can be understandable if the money is going towards the shipping of diplomas, which is an important process for each student to receive their physical diploma, because, as we all know, shipping isn’t free; the university is no exception. 

But where does the other $43 of the $63 graduation fee go?

“The remaining portion of the graduation application fee covers costs associated with the various commencement ceremonies that occur each spring,” Yager said. “This is common for all CSU campuses.” 

Surely, with this much money from every single graduate pouring into the metaphorical “pot” that is the university’s budget, you would think that we’d have enough money for the ceremony from all the various other fees alone. 

But the spending for your perfect Fresno State graduation doesn’t have to end there. There are also grad boxes you can purchase that include some swag, expensive stickers, tags and license plates for youand your bruised wallet.

“Although not required, grad boxes offer a collection of exclusive Fresno State alumni items and memorabilia to help you commemorate this special moment and stay connected to the Bulldog community,” said Jacquelyn Glasener, the executive director of the Fresno State Alumni Association.

Thankfully, these grad boxes aren’t a mandatory requirement for graduates. But still, $110 is somewhat high for a few keepsakes, regardless of the retail value or sentiment. 

There is surely, there is surely a well of money to be drawn from with the recent rise in our tuition. Perhaps instead of pushing yet another expensive fee on existing college students, we could resort to a more “recycled” means of paying our dues to the costs of graduation, such as using the money from our parking passes and tickets, tuition, Dog Days and others. 

At that point, we’d truly be leaving Fresno State efficiently, regardless of whether it’s the norm in every college in the state to enforce a grad fee.