(a) The governing board of an institution of higher education may fix the rate of incidental fees to be paid to an institution under its governance by students and prospective students and may make rules for the collection of the fees and for the distribution of the funds, such funds to be accounted for as other designated funds. The rate of an incidental fee must reasonably reflect the actual cost to the university of the materials or services for which the fee is collected. In fixing such rate, the governing board may consult with a student fee advisory committee which the governing board may establish if such student committee does not presently exist.
(b) The board shall publish in the general catalog of the university a description of the amount of each fee to be charged.
(c) In this section, “incidental fees” includes, without limitation, such fees as late registration fees, library fines, microfilming fees, thesis or doctoral manuscript reproduction or filing fees, bad check charges, application processing fees, and laboratory breakage charges, but does not include a fee for which a governing board makes a charge under the authority of any other provision of law.