Tuition is the cost most students plan for. Fees, required materials, and other charges billed alongside it are easier to miss. In its 2026 survey, The True Cost of College Life, Direct Textbook asked 353 college students and recent graduates about the everyday costs of college, including a time a “mandatory” expense felt unfair. Many named fees they hadn’t expected to pay.
We took a closer look at these costs and put together what’s worth knowing about them. Here are 10 unexpected mandatory expenses to be aware of, along with when they apply and stories from students who found them totally unfair.
The 10 Unexpected “Mandatory” Expenses Students Face in College
1. Technology fee
Many schools charge a technology fee each term to fund campus Wi-Fi, computer labs, software licenses, and IT support. It is usually billed to every student, whether or not they use campus equipment.
“Not sure why I need to pay a ‘technology fee’ when all the tech I use is personal equipment I bought with my own money.”Junior, English Education
2. Lab fees
Courses with a lab component often carry a separate fee for materials, equipment, and supplies. Because it’s charged per course, majors with many labs can end up costing more than others.
“My university has mandatory extra labs fees. I’m already paying for the credit and the course, why is there extra fees on top of the textbook I have to buy for the class?”Junior, Behavioral Neuroscience
3. Online course fees
Online classes can come with their own per-course or per-credit fee, which some schools use to cover course platforms and remote support. Students who choose online classes to save money may find they cost more than in-person ones.
“Students usually opt for online courses to save time and money going to the campus for in-person classes. Yet, we’re charged a fee for taking them that is the price of a month of food for a family of three or four.”Senior, Psychology
4. Homework access codes
Some courses require an online homework platform, often sold as an access code with or without a textbook. Since assignments are submitted through it, students can’t skip it without losing part of their grade.
“I feel as though online math homework platforms should be significantly cheaper, if not free. We just use these platforms for homework problems, there is no need for it to be 100+ dollars.”Junior, Computer Science
5. Student health service fee
Separate from health insurance, many schools charge a fee that funds the campus health center. It is typically billed to all enrolled students, including those who never visit.
“At my college we have to pay a student health service fee which is an extra hundred dollars, but I have never used the student health services provided on campus.”Junior, Psychology
6. Transportation fee
Schools with campus shuttles or transit passes often fund them through a fee charged to every student. Commuters who drive, walk, or live far from the bus routes usually pay it too.
“The transportation fees that each student is required to pay even if we don’t live on campus and utilize the transportation.”Freshman, Criminal Justice – Pre-Law
7. Housing and meal requirements for summer classes
Some schools that require first-year or out-of-state students to live on campus apply the same rule to summer terms. That means paying for a dorm room and a meal plan even for a single summer course.
“Housing and food costs are mandatory for summer classes at my university. I am broke enough and they want me to pay for overpriced food and a tiny dorm room that I HAVE TO SHARE!”Freshman, Mechanical Engineering
8. Study abroad fees
Studying abroad can involve fees owed to the home school on top of the program’s own costs, such as administrative or application fees, or a fee to stay enrolled while away.
“My school charged me a $2000 study abroad fee simply for filing my paperwork. This mandatory fee was on top of paying full tuition to my school although the partner school I was attending abroad cost far less in addition to my travel, rooming, and food expenses.”Junior, Social Work
9. Graduation fees
Many schools charge a fee to apply for graduation or process a diploma, and the cap, gown, and any cords or stoles are often bought separately. These costs arrive at the very end of a degree, when most students have stopped budgeting for school.
“It’s weird that you spend the entirety of four years in college paying for stuff, just to have to pay graduation fees.”Junior, Business Administration
10. Printing fees
Campus printing is often pay-per-page or limited to a set quota, with extra pages charged separately. For students without a printer at home, it becomes a small but regular cost.
“Having to pay to print at school when my tuition should be covering that.”Sophomore, Marketing and Advertising
How To Plan for These Costs
Most of these fees can’t be avoided, since they’re set by the school and billed to everyone who meets the criteria. Still, knowing about them early makes them easier to budget for:
- Read the school’s fee schedule. Most colleges publish their mandatory fees on the bursar’s or tuition page, often broken down by term, program, and student type.
- Check which fees apply to you. Some fees differ for online, part-time, commuter, or summer students, and the bursar’s office can confirm what your status means for your bill.
- Budget for the end of the degree too. Graduation and program-related fees are easy to forget, but they’re usually known in advance and can be planned for well before the final term.
