Effective fall 2022, the Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee (IREF) is a course materials and services fee that supports tools, infrastructure and staff to support in-person and remote instruction. The cost to students is $106 per semester or $212 for academic year 2022/23, and is in response to additional remote instruction needs that the campus faces due to circumstances like wildfire and the pandemic. The IREF addresses the changing requirements and expectations of instructors and students regarding software and classroom-related technology.

Previously, some of these software and support services were funded by the Student Technology Fee, which had substantial support from the student population. IREF also provides access to additional software, technologies and services that enhance student learning and provide a foundation for instructional resilience. In addition to software licensing Microsoft Office, Zoom Pro and the Adobe Suite, the fee will provide funding for the Student Technology Equity Program (STEP), which provides laptops and other hardware to students in need.

The IREF is also in line with several other UC campuses (UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, and UC Irvine), which have already instituted a course materials fee that funds a wide variety of instructional technology. Those fees vary from $324/year (UCLA) to $112.50/year (UC Santa Barbara) for the 2021/2022 academic year.

We recognize students may be concerned about any proposed new fee. We are committed to keeping the overall cost of a UC Berkeley education as low as possible and providing financial aid to help students (including low-income) finance the full Cost of Attendance, including tuition and fees. Students receiving financial aid are supported in covering the costs of fees like the IREF.