Student fees at UW-Madison have more than doubled over the last decade, from $404 to $890.

That's a much faster rate of growth than inflation or personal income in Wisconsin. And it makes affording college that much harder for ordinary students.

UW-Madison's General Student Services Fund Committee recently adopted stricter rules for doling out dollars to campus groups.

The student-run committee used to grant money to almost any group that applied. But starting this year, the committee is limiting funding to applicants that offer direct and broad services to all students -- not just members of a specific group.

Those turned down for funding this fall aren't happy. And some of are appealing the committee's decisions.

This includes Vets for Vets, which used to get about $40,000 from student fees to pay for counseling and other help for veterans moving into civilian and student life.

University critics might worry that the military was singled out for cuts. But Kurt Gosselin, chairman of the student-run committee that made the decisions, insisted Monday that's not the case.

Other groups also were denied money -- not because of politics, he said, but because their focus was too narrow. Gosselin added that the university recently hired a retired Army officer to better help veterans on campus.

The committee's new policy and specific picks for funding are debatable. But the larger point -- that students are finally trying to hold down the cost of higher education in one area where they have control -- deserves wide support.

That is progress. And it bodes well for the state's future.

Wisconsin's success in the changing global economy will require a well-educated population. And that will require easy access to higher education for those students willing to work and study hard.

Students can only do so much to control hidden fees. That's because UW-Madison's chancellor and the Board of Regents determine most of the fees that students have to pay.

Yet it's great to see students saying "no" to unlimited spending. By carefully scrutinizing fees, the students are allowing more of their peers to say "yes" to a college education.