Original Issuance Date: June 5, 1998
Last Revision Date: November 11, 2022
1. Policy Purpose
2. Responsible UW System Officer
Vice President for Finance and Administration
3. Scope and Institutional Responsibilities
This policy applies to all University of Wisconsin (UW) System institutions when developing budgets and managing operations related to student services.
4. Background
Student services represent the many educational activities which contribute to a student’s overall learning experience while attending an institution within the UW System. In accordance with Wis. Stat. § 36.09 (1)(hm), “The board shall develop policies for the purpose of specifically identifying the general purpose revenue and nongeneral purpose revenue funding sources used for noninstructional student activities and for the purpose of governing the allocation of funds to those noninstructional student activities supported by both general purpose and nongeneral purpose revenue.” This paper sets forth the systemwide policy as required by the statutes. The policy refers to program expenditures of student services. It does not apply to facility and utility costs. In determining the funding sources of specific student services, institutions shall consult with students, faculty and academic staff as provided in Wis. Stat. § 36.09.
In addition to the policies and procedures set forth in this paper, funding for student services activities is subject to the following rules and regulations:
- Wis. Stat. § 36.09 (1)(hm), Board Responsibility for Identifying Funding sources for noninstructional student activities
- Wis. Stat. § 36.09 (5), Student responsibilities and governance
- Regent Policy Document (RPD) 23-1, Basic Health Module
- RPD 30-5, Policy and Procedures for Segregated University Fees
- RPD 30-3, Guidelines for Student Governance
- SYS 180, Child Care Centers
- SYS 820, Segregated University Fees
- SYS 171, Recruitment/Retention of Students
- SYS 805, Tuition and Fee Policies for Credit Instruction
- Athletic Conference Guidelines
Note that SYS 318, Charging Fuels and Utilities – Auxiliary Enterprises and SYS 316, Auxiliary Enterprises Support Services Chargebacks relate to auxiliary enterprises only and do not apply to student services activities.
5. Definitions
The UW System defines student services in accordance with the taxonomy as set forth by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) in its Financial Accounting and Reporting Manual with the following caveats:
- Athletics are not considered to be self-supporting and therefore, categorized as a student service but separately reported rather than combined with Social and Cultural Development.
- Child care is identified as a student service (except that child care services which exist primarily to provide an instructional practicum for students are classified as academic support).
- Educational opportunity is reported separately, rather than combined with student services administration.
- Data processing support for student services activities is reported separately, rather than combined with student services administration.
Student services includes …”activities with the primary purpose of contributing to students’ emotional and physical well-being and intellectual, cultural, and social development outside the context of the formal instruction program”. The following subactivities identify student services:
Student Services Administration: Student Services Administration include organized administrative activities that provide assistance and support to the needs and interests of students. It includes the Dean of Students unless the Dean is the chief administrative officer for student affairs. It may also include the ombuds function, grievance work, sexual assault education, general campus information centers, campus assistance centers, student orientation programs and administrative activities relating to international students. Enrollment services, such as retention, admission and coordination of financial aid, are included here if not coded elsewhere.
Social and Cultural Development: Social and Cultural Development includes those activities which enhance a student’s social and cultural development outside of the formal academic structure. Included here are non-credit cultural events such as speakers, concerts, plays and fine arts, intramural and recreational programs and sports clubs. The nonretail programs within the student union/center, lounges, meeting rooms, student newspapers, student organizations and multicultural centers where the primary focus is on all students are also classified under social and cultural development.
Intercollegiate Athletics: Intercollegiate Athletics includes all intercollegiate athletic programs as well as support services exclusively for athletes. Funding for intercollegiate athletics must comply with applicable athletic conference guidelines.
Career Guidance and Counseling: Career Guidance includes career guidance, counseling and development and formally organized placement and testing services. Personal counseling services conducted under the auspices of the Student Health Services should be included under that subactivity.
Financial Aid Administration: Financial Aid Administration includes all activities relating to processing financial aid applications, advising students, awarding financial aid, providing loan counseling and helping students find part-time employment.
Student Admission Services: Student Admission Services involve the identification of prospective students, recruitment, relations with secondary/high schools and junior colleges/technical schools. It also includes evaluation of transfer credits, determination of residency status and processing admission applications.
Student Academic Records: Student Academic Records incorporates maintaining and updating student records, grade reports and transcripts (both official and unofficial copies), providing student identification cards, and processing degree checks for graduation.
Student Health Services: Student Health Services includes organized student health services, health education and wellness and health insurance administration. Personal counseling, crisis intervention and alcohol and drug abuse including outreach and prevention programs are also categorized here.
Child Care Services: Child Care Services are provided for children of students. Child Care Services includes basic child care services as well as enhanced educational opportunities for children who are not part of an early childhood instructional program. Child Care Services may also include the instructional, research, public service, institutional support and auxiliary aspects of a child care center to the extent that these functions are not material enough to warrant separate functional budgeting.
Educational Opportunity: Educational Opportunity encompasses those unique/additional services for students in categories targeted for recruitment and retention by the Board of Regents as well as services to other identifiable groups such as women, veterans, disabled, adult/nontraditional, and gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender students. It includes administrative activities related to these services.
6. Policy Statement
All student services are intrinsically tied to the mission of the UW System as an integral part of the educational experience of all students. The exact structure, characteristics and funding sources of student service programs varies from campus to campus within the UW System to reflect the different missions, histories, institutional and area resources, and priorities of each institution.
In determining appropriate funding sources for student services, it is reasonable for students to expect that those services which are required for the operation and processing of the formal instructional program will be included in the amounts paid by tuition and general purpose revenue (GPR). Other services designed by institutions to provide support for student success in the formal instructional program will be funded primarily by general purpose revenue but may also receive funding from other sources. Institutions will determine the most appropriate funding mixes of GPR, segregated fees, fees for services and event fees for these programs.
Those activities that have been developed primarily at the request of students should be funded either by segregated fees or event fees. Extramural support (gifts, grants and contracts) may be used for any student services activity as allowed by the extramural sponsor.
The attached Student Services Activities Allowable Funding Sources Matrix pdf lists specific student services activities within each subactivity. Funding is divided into General Purpose Revenue (GPR) which includes tuition dollars and nongeneral purpose revenue which includes the following categories: Segregated Fees, Fees for Service and Event Fees. Funding sources are identified by the following key:
P = Primary (By definition, this must be the largest of the funding sources which may or may not be the majority)
A = Allowed (By definition, an allowable funding source)
N = Not Allowed (By definition, a funding source that is not appropriate)
— = Not Applicable (By definition, a funding source that does not apply to this activity)
The matrix is an integral part of this policy paper and shall be used to determine allowable funding sources for student services activities. Revenues generated from fees for services and/or event fees must be used for the student service activity for which the fee was charged. This policy does not preclude an institution from differentiating between the fees charged to students and to nonstudents.
STUDENT SERVICES ACTIVITIES ALLOWABLE FUNDING SOURCES
Key: P = Primary | A = Allowed | N = Not Allowed | — = Not Applicable
| 0100
STUDENT SERVICES ADMINISTRATION |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Dean of Students as the Chief Administrative Officer (due to the NACUBO classification of institutional support) | P | N | N | — |
| Dean of Students Office administrative and policy functions | P | A | N | — |
| Dean of Students Office fiscal and student leadership services | A | P | N | — |
| Orientation programs | A | N | A | — |
| Enrollment services (retention, admission, coordinated financial aid if not coded elsewhere) | P | N | N | — |
| International students, Administrative Activities | P | N | A | — |
| General campus information/assistance centers | P | A | A | — |
| 0150
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING/STUDENT SERVICES |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Administrative data processing services to registration, admissions, financial aid and any other functions that benefit student service activities | P | N | N | — |
| 0200
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Cultural events, speakers, fine arts, plays, concerts, etc. | A | A | A | A |
| Nonretail programs within student union/center | A | A | A | A |
| Multicultural centers with primary focus on all students | P | A | A | A |
| Student newspapers | A | A | A | — |
| Intramurals/Recreation programs | A | A | A | A |
| Intramural/Recr., Student Union and Auditoria Space Management | A | A | A | A |
| Student organizations & programs/services offered by student organizations | A | P | A | A |
| Advisory services for student organizations | A | A | A | A |
| 0250
INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Intercollegiate athletic programs | A | A | A | A |
| 0300
CAREER GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Career guidance, counseling and development | P | A | A | A |
| Career planning, testing, and placement services | P | A | A | — |
| Academic and career testing services | P | A | A | A |
| 0400
FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATION |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Financial aid services and assistance | P | N | N | — |
| Processing financial aid applications | P | N | N | — |
| Employment services for current students | P | A | A (non- workstudy employment) | — |
| Financial aid advising | P | N | N | — |
| Awarding financial aid | P | N | N | — |
| Providing loan counseling | P | N | N | — |
| 0500
STUDENT ADMISSION SERVICES |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Identification of prospective students | P | N | N | — |
| Recruitment | P | N | A | — |
| Promotion of attendance at the institution | P | N | A | — |
| Processing admission applications (excluding application fee) | P | N | N | — |
| Secondary/high school relations | P | N | N | — |
| Junior college/technical school relations | P | N | N | — |
| Publications/information to prospective students | P | N | N | — |
| Evaluation of transfer credits | P | N | N | — |
| Determination of residency status | P | N | N | — |
| 0600
STUDENT ACADEMIC RECORDS |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Grade Reports and Unofficial Transcripts | P | N | N | — |
| Official Transcripts | P | N | A | — |
| Maintain, handle and update records, including name and address files | P | N | N | — |
| Student ID cards | P | A | A | — |
| Graduation processing (degree checks) including commencement | P | N | A | N |
| Registration records | P | N | N | — |
| 0700
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Organized student health services | A | P | A | — |
| Health education/wellness | A | P | A | — |
| Health insurance administration | A | A | P | — |
| Mental health, personal counseling/individual and group | A | A | A | A |
| Crisis intervention | A | A | N | — |
| AODA | A | A | A | A |
| Outreach/prevention programming | A | A | A | A |
| 0800
CHILD CARE SERVICES |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Child care service for children of students | A | A | P | — |
| 0900
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY |
GPR | NON-GPR | ||
| SEG FEE | FEE FOR SERVICE | EVENT FEE | ||
| Unique/additional services for students in areas targeted for recruitment and retention by the Board of Regents | P | N | — | — |
| Services to other identifiable groups of students (i.e., women, disabled, veterans, adult/nontraditional, gay/lesbian/bisexual/, etc.) excluding Student organizations programs | A | A | A | A |
| Pre-college programs for targeted populations | P | N | A | A |
7. Related Documents
Student Services Activities Allowable Funding Sources
8. Policy History
Revision 2: November 11, 2022
Revision 1: April 15, 2022
First approved: June 5, 1998
9. Scheduled Review
March 2027