COLUMBIA, Mo. ÷ In a ruling Friday, St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Romines found the University of Missouri system violated state law by charging Missouri residents for their classes.

The class-action lawsuit, filed by three former students in 1998, seeks compensation for in-state undergraduate fees assessed by the UM system between 1995 and 2001.

The suit charges that the UM system Board of Curators violated an 1872 statute when it began collecting educational fees from in-state students in 1986.

Lawyers arguing on behalf of the UM system have said tuition and educational fees are different, and that the statute in question only prohibits charging in-state tuition.

"Tuition is a reference to the entire cost of a student's education," UM system spokesman David Russell said. "Missouri students receive a heavy subsidy from the state, amounting to two-thirds of the overall cost; educational fees represent the difference."

Romines apparently thought differently after consulting "all editions of all dictionaries," saying in his ruling that tuition and fees are synonymous.