Northeastern's Interim Provost Calls $100 Lab Fee 'Not a Very Successful Policy,' Explains New Comprehensive Fee
Tom Sheahan told the faculty senate the consolidated fee was meant to stop families feeling 'nickel-[and]-dimed.' The new fee charges every student the lab fee, regardless of enrollment.
Northeastern University's interim provost told the faculty senate on Oct. 21 that criticism of a $100 lab and studio course fee led to the university's new consolidated "comprehensive fee," The Huntington News reported.
Northeastern introduced the $100 fee for lab and studio courses last fall, saying supplies "have significantly increased in cost." Students and faculty criticized it, noting some degree programs require multiple lab and studio courses. This fall, the university combined "the campus recreation, student activity, lab, student center and undergraduate fees" into a single comprehensive fee that charges every student the $100 lab and studio component regardless of enrollment in such courses.
Tom Sheahan, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, described the original lab fee as "not a very successful policy." He said consolidation was meant to keep students and families from feeling "nickel-[and]-dimed" and that "it was consolidated into a single fee that was determined to be lower than the average that most students were paying."
Northeastern's Student Financial Services website says lab and studio courses require specialized staffing, equipment and supplies that have risen in price. A spokesperson told the News in August 2025 that the fee would "support the direct costs of maintaining our state-of-the-art facilities."
The report did not give the dollar amount of the comprehensive fee or how much students who take no lab courses now pay compared with before.
