The “UCGPC Fee” is a UC-wide optional fee that graduate and professional students at every UC campus can choose to pay for the purpose of funding the University of California Graduate and Professional Council, the student-led and state-recognized organization that represents all 60,000+ UC graduate and professional students at the University, state, and federal levels.

How much does the fee cost?
The UCGPC Fee costs $7 annually per graduate and professional student, which will be prorated by academic term.

Is the UCGPC Fee mandatory?
No, the UCGPC Fee is a non-mandatory systemwide fee and can be opted out of at any term.

Why is the UCGPC Fee being implemented?
UCGPC has historically been funded by association membership dues that fluctuate each year. Interest for a systemwide fee paid directly by students to support UCGPC has remained constant for several years, especially since the California State Student Association and Student Senate for California Community Colleges have successfully implemented a similar funding model. In July 2021, the UC Board of Regents recognized the need to fund and sustain student advocacy and approved the UCGPC Fee which now allows students to directly pay into their representative body and critical advocacy initiatives that have proven transformative to the student experience.

What does the UCGPC Fee fund?
The fee helps support funding for the UC Graduate & Professional Council, which advocates on behalf of all current and prospective graduate and professional students’ interests at the University, state, and federal levels. For instance, the UCGPC advocates for systemwide change to address urgent issues impacting students, such as the housing crisis, food insecurity, access to mental health resources, and more. Additionally, the fee will cover conference planning for the Graduate Summit. It also allows UCGPC to fund a Day on the Hill, where student advocates from across the UC travel to Washington D.C. to advance important legislation in Congress. The fee also covers costs for professional staff and advocacy campaigns that focus on addressing many student issues that are directly voted on by students at the UCGPC Graduate Summit in the Fall quarter.

Where can I view and pay the UCGPC Fee?
The fee will be listed on students’ billing statement with other fees and included in the total amount due for that billing period. It will be listed on the billing statement as the “UCGPC Fee”.

How can I opt out of the fee?
Each student’s billing statement will include annotation explaining that a student can opt-out of the fee and will provide the necessary information about the opt-out process.

When will the fee be implemented?
The start date of the fee is still to be determined. The fee will go into effect in the Winter 2022 quarter at the earliest. After it goes into effect, a prorated amount of it will be assessed at the beginning of each academic term.

Do I have to opt-out each academic year if I wish to not pay the fee?
No. Once a student opts out of the fee at their UC campus, they will remain in the opt-out status for the remainder of their graduate and professional career at that campus.

What happens if I transfer to a different UC campus?
A student will need to opt-out of the fee once again at their new campus (if they continue to wish to opt-out).

Can I reverse my opt-out status?
Yes, a student may elect to reverse their opt-out status and begin paying the fee once again.

When is the fee opt-out deadline?
Campus deadlines for a student to opt-out vary by campus, as early as the fee payment deadline to no later than the third week of the quarter or fifth week of the semester.

What will happen if I don’t pay the fee?
Failure to pay the UCGPC Fee in any given academic term without opting out shall not be interpreted as failure to pay required fees for registration purposes. Therefore, a student’s registration will not be held up, nor will a student be dropped from classes, because the UCSA Fee was not paid. 

What happens if I don’t pay the full amount of my campus fees?
If a student underpays their fees, the UCGPC Fee will be included on late bills sent to the student but should not have negative consequences on a student’s enrollment status.

Who can I contact at UCGPC if I have further questions such as on refund policy and process? 
Please contact our UCGPC Executive Director at executivedirector@ucgpc.org if you have additional questions about the UCGPC Fee or if you wish to seek opportunities for involvement with the organization.