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HELENA - Tuition at state universities may be frozen for Montana students this school year, but mandatory fees are still going up.

The majority of the fee hikes are inflationary increases. But at the University of Montana in Missoula, student leaders approved a 9 percent jump in mandatory fees this school year to help pay for some building projects.

Mandatory fees are paid by all students to cover health care services, student government, computer technology and other programs.

They typically make up 25 percent of a student's total tuition, said Mick Robinson, associate commissioner for fiscal affairs in the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.

The state Board of Regents agreed to limit those fees to inflationary increases as part of a deal with Gov. Brian Schweitzer to freeze tuition for in-state students for two years. The "College Affordability Plan" was approved by the 2007 Legislature earlier this year.

Any exceptions to the inflationary fee increases were brought to the board, and had to have been approved by student leaders.

"The (Board of Regents) is focused on making sure that these (fees) are under control," Robinson said. "I thought the campuses did a very good job."

Regents Chairwoman Lynn Hamilton of Havre said she was pleased that most mandatory fees were held at inflation this school year.

"I think that's pretty good," she said. "I think any time you keep the fees closer to inflationary costs, the better off the students are."

At UM, student leaders there voted to use the higher mandatory fees to help pay for a bond levy for an addition to UM's College of Technology in Helena and to add a building for the higher education commissioner and stuff.

The latter project was scrapped, so the Associated Students of the University instead voted to use the bond proceeds to help pay for building projects at the law school, journalism school and interdisciplinary science, said Rosi Keller, UM's associate vice president for administration and finance.

UM student leaders also approved a significant increase in student transportation fees to help pay for a "park-and-ride" program, where students can park their vehicles in lots away from campus and ride a shuttle bus to class. Students voted for an increase in student union and campus recreation fees, Keller said.

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