The $55 UMI fee is a mandatory fee which must be paid at the Bursar's Office by all PhD students before they register their dissertation for the defense. If paying by check, the check is made payable to the University of Rochester. (By the way, this fee will not increase next academic year.)

The UMI copyright fee is optional; that is, it's up to the student to decide whether he/she wants their dissertation copyrighted by UMI. If yes, they must include a $45 money order or certified check made payable to University Microfilms International with their UMI form when the dissertation is registered.