Ministry of Education and Training proposes to increase the ceiling on university tuition fees

Difficulty when tuition does not increase

The above information was stated by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in a submission to the Government on the draft amendment and supplement to a number of articles of Decree 81 regulating the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees at universities and localities nationwide.

The Ministry of Education and Training pointed out the difficulty: if tuition fees for the 2023-2024 school year are implemented according to Decree 81, the ceiling will increase, with some majors increasing by nearly 100% compared to the previous school year, which will become a huge burden for society.

Ministry of Education and Training proposes to increase university tuition fees, figure 1 — The Ministry of Education and Training proposed an increase in the ceiling for university tuition fees in 2023-2024 (photo source: National University).

The reason for this increase is that in the past three years (2021, 2022, 2023), the Government has requested universities and localities not to increase tuition fees compared to 2020 to support people heavily affected during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, the tuition fee roadmap according to Decree 81 has not been applied since its issuance in 2021, and tuition fees have not increased in the past 3 school years.

In August 2023, the Government directed and the Ministry of Education and Training to consult with localities, universities, and experts on adjusting and amending Decree 81 to suit the actual situation.

In general, opinions are that tuition fees for the 2023-2024 school year need to be adjusted to increase to ensure resources to improve the quality of education and training, invest in facilities in the context of limited investment resources and annual cuts in the regular budget.

In particular, for public universities, revenue from tuition fees accounts for the majority (over 80% of the total revenue of the school), the ability to exploit other sources of revenue is limited. Many schools have proposed to increase tuition fees to cover regular operating costs, improve training quality and implement the autonomy roadmap.

Proposal to increase university tuition fees

The tuition fee ceiling for public universities that are not self-sufficient in regular expenses for the 2023-2024 school year is 1.2-2.45 million VND/month, depending on the major, instead of 1.35-2.76 million VND as in Decree 81. The current collection level is 980 thousand to 1.43 million VND.

For autonomous schools (self-paying salaries, allowances, repairing facilities...), depending on the level, the maximum amount collected is 2-2.5 times the above level, equivalent to about 2.4-6.15 million VND/month.

In the submission, the Ministry of Education and Training maintains the regulations on tuition support and tuition exemption for policy students, to ensure fairness in access to educational services.

Maintain general education tuition fees

The tuition fee ceiling for schools that are not self-sufficient in regular expenses for the 2023-2024 school year ranges from 30,000 - 650,000 VND/month depending on the level of education and region. This level has been applied by many localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, since the last school year. For autonomous educational institutions, the maximum ceiling is 2 - 2.5 times higher than the above level.

Based on this ceiling and local situation, the People's Council of the province or city decides on the tuition framework for public preschool and primary schools in the area.

In the submission, the Ministry of Education and Training also clearly stated the roadmap, from the 2024-2025 school year, the tuition framework and levels will be adjusted appropriately according to local socio-economic conditions, the consumer price index growth rate, and economic growth rate, but not exceeding 7.5%/year.

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