College of Engineering (COE) Program Enhancement Fee

How much is the fee?

The fee per semester is $750. This equates to $1500 per year.

What is the fee for textile engineering (TE) students?

The COE Program Enhancement Fee is a fee that pays for enhancements to the learning experience of undergraduate and graduate students in all programs within the College of Engineering including textile engineering. These enhancements include targeted student programs, student computing services and new equipment and laboratories.

Please note that this is a fee and not a differential tuition. This means that the COE Program Enhancement Fee cannot be used to hire additional faculty, create additional course sections or other instructional items that are provided through state funding or tuition.

How are the funds are spent?

Funds will be used for student success programs, research infrastructure, and enhancement opportunities for B.S. and M.S. students within the TE program. Expenses will be non-instructional that enhance the student experience. Other expenditures include travel stipends for graduate students for professional development, undergraduate study abroad scholarships, research experiences for undergraduates, equipment to utilize in instruction and research, experiential activities including attending professional and technical shows, and plant and company visitations.

Why does the College of Engineering charge a program enhancement fee?

Our ability to provide you with the highest quality engineering education depends on being able to develop, sustain and grow programs of excellence that enhance your educational experience and your marketability. Since technology is also changing so rapidly these days, our ability to provide relevant engineering education and prepare you for entering the workforce requires that equipment and laboratories keep pace with these advancing technologies.

Practically every public institution with engineering programs ranked higher than or equal to NC State charge a differential tuition or additional fee. So in 2015, the UNC Board of Governors approved the COE Program Enhancement Fee to ensure that we can keep up with our peers in terms of resources needed to provide the highest quality engineering education.

Who pays the COE Program Enhancement Fee?

All undergraduate and graduate students majoring in textile engineering.

Who oversees the funds?

The ultimate fiscal responsibility for the textile engineering portion resides with the assistant dean for finance and operations (ADFO) at the Wilson College of Textiles. The ADFO delegates fiscal purchases to the department head in Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science who oversees the TE faculty.
The TE faculty will vote on the ideas generated by the TE faculty and TE students through various feedback mechanisms and surveys. Once a decision is made, it is brought to the department head and ADFO for approval.