FAQ Regarding IRA Fees, Eligibility

What is this fee and how much does CSUF charge students for Instructionally Related Activities?

Instructionally Related Activities fees are Category II campus-based mandatory fees required for enrollment. At CSUF, the Instructionally Related Activities Committee establishes determines which programs are eligible, reviews their funding proposals and awards funding.Instructionally Related Activities fees are Category II campus-based mandatory fees required for enrollment. At CSUF, the Instructionally Related Activities Committee determines which programs are eligible, reviews their proposals and awards funding.

For fall 2026 and spring 2027, students pay a $49.12 fee per term. The California State University (CSU) regulates this fee under the Student Tuition and Fee Policy.

What activities qualify for these funds?

An activity must be deemed integral to a credit-bearing course and provide "hands-on" experiences that occur outside the traditional classroom. For additional information, visit California Education Code Section 89230.

Governance and Annual Awards

What is the IRA Committee and who is on it?

The IRA Committee is a shared governance body that reviews which programs are eligible for IRA funds, considers their funding requests, and determines award amounts.

The committee has 22 members, including 17 voting members and five non-voting members. The voting members include the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) president or an ASI designee, who serves as chair, plus eight student representatives and eight faculty members. Each student and faculty member represents one of the university's colleges. Students hold nine of the 17 voting seats.

The non-voting members include a representative from each of these offices: University President, Academic Affairs and Provost, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Administration and Finance. They serve as advisors. 

How does the committee review and approve funding proposals? 

The IRA Committee is a shared governance body representing both faculty and students that determines the distribution of IRA funding. Using a rubric, the IRA Committee develops recommendations for program awards in accordance with the rules governing eligibility and the awards process. 

Why aren’t the funds handled through a routine budget process?

As outlined in the CSUF IRA Governance Policy, the IRA Committee operates through shared governance. This structure is intended to ensure that those most directly impacted by the funds – students and faculty – have a voice in determining which activities are funded. This collaborative model fulfills legal requirements for the collection of student fees and how those funds can be distributed. 

Does the IRA Committee also set the mandatory activity fee that students pay for IRA?

No. The Student Fee Advisory Committee is a separate, shared-governance body that determines the fees students pay each semester. The committee includes a majority of student members (eight students, two student affairs staff, one administration and finance staff, one academic affairs staff, two faculty members) to ensure student representation in fee decisions.

Under the committee's directive, it considers changes in fees after a student referendum takes place.

Why does Titans Athletics receive 36% of the funding? What is its share spent on?

In 2010*, Cal State Fullerton students approved a referendum that granted an annual 36% portion of IRA funding (after administrative costs) to Titans Athletics. It has been receiving that proportion ever since.

Like all awardees, the department complies with the IRA Committee's guidelines on permitted expenses, including travel, equipment, and production supplies. The IRA allocation to Titans Athletics primarily supports student-athlete travel and operational expenses.  

*Note: Milton Gordon was CSUF president in 2012. His tenure spanned 22 years from 1990 to 2011. 

Can the 36% distribution to Titans Athletics be changed?

Students can opt to pursue a referendum if they wish to change the apportionment.

The process for a referendum usually takes longer than one year.  

Why is there a 10% administrative fee?

This fee covers the university's costs for staff support and services required to manage and administer the IRA funds.

2026-27 Program Funding

Why are programs receiving less IRA funding for the 2026-27 academic year than they did previously?

There are two primary reasons:

1. Limited funding availability and temporary reserves: The baseline of IRA funding has remained relatively unchanged over the years, except during the COVID-19 pandemic when campus activities were disrupted. 
   A larger-than-usual reserve of unspent IRA funds amassed during the pandemic because COVID-related closures meant there were fewer student activities to support. The funds were carried over. In 2025-26, the IRA Committee awarded a combined $5.9 million to 119 programs.
   
   For the 2026-27 year, the committee received 140 requests totaling $7.8 million. However, the committee had only $2.6 million in funding to distribute and awarded the funds to 113 programs — including 91 current programs and 22 new ones.
2. Increased demand: The number of applications the IRA committee receives has increased year after year. This trend has resulted in more programs receiving a share of the available funds each year, but in smaller proportions. In compliance with the Funding Deliberation Policy, the committee directed the available IRA monies to as many activities as possible while staying within the budget.

Were there any leftover IRA funds from the prior year that could have been awarded?

The IRA Committee is required to spend down funds each year, according to the CSU Designated Balances and Reserves policy. This practice is intended to ensure that currently enrolled students who pay the fee benefit from IRA-funded activities. 

Why are university administrators, faculty and students forming a task force?

University, faculty and student leaders share students' and faculty's concerns that the fast-rising demand for program support from IRA funding has far outpaced the incremental growth of the fee-supported fund. That is why they have convened a task force. 

The task force, which is a collaboration between Academic Affairs, Academic Senate and Associated Students Inc., is charged with assessing and addressing the persistent issue for future IRA funding. It will recommend strategies to resolve the issue to CSUF President Ronald Rochon.

The university will provide updates from the task force as details become available.