The Ministry of Education and Training proposes keeping high school tuition fees unchanged and increasing university tuition fees.

The Ministry of Education and Training proposes adjusting tuition fees upwards for the 2023-2024 academic year for university level, while keeping them unchanged for high school level.

Đề xuất tăng học phí đại học, giữ nguyên học phí phổ thông

The Ministry of Education and Training proposes increasing university tuition fees while keeping high school tuition fees unchanged.

This information was stated by the Ministry of Education and Training in its submission to the Government regarding the draft amendments and additions to several articles of Decree 81, which regulates the mechanism for collecting and managing tuition fees at universities and localities nationwide.

The Ministry of Education and Training has raised concerns that if tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year are implemented according to Decree 81, the ceiling will increase significantly, with some sectors seeing increases of nearly 100% compared to the previous academic year, which would become a huge burden on society.

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

Therefore, the tuition fee schedule outlined in Decree 81, since its issuance in 2021, has not been implemented, and tuition fees have not increased in the past three academic years.

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

In general, the opinions suggest that tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year need to be adjusted upwards to ensure resources for improving the quality of education and training, and investing in infrastructure, given limited investment resources and annual cuts in the recurrent budget.

In particular, for public universities, tuition fees account for the majority of revenue (over 80% of the university's total income), while the ability to exploit other revenue sources is limited. Many universities have proposed increasing tuition fees to cover regular operating costs, improve the quality of education, and implement the autonomy roadmap.

University tuition fees increase

The tuition fee ceiling for public universities that are not self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses for the 2023-2024 academic year is 1.2-2.45 million VND/month, depending on the field of study, instead of 1.35-2.76 million VND as stipulated in Decree 81. The current fee is 980,000 to 1.43 million VND.

For schools that have achieved autonomy (paying their own salaries, allowances, and facility repairs), depending on the level of autonomy, they can collect up to 2-2.5 times the above amount, equivalent to approximately 2.4-6.15 million VND/month.

In the submission, the Ministry of Education and Training maintains the regulations on tuition fee support and tuition fee exemptions for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, aiming to ensure fairness in accessing educational services.

Keep high school tuition fees unchanged.

The tuition fee ceiling for schools that are not yet self-sufficient in covering their operating expenses for the 2023-2024 school year ranges from 30,000 to 650,000 VND per month, depending on the grade level and region. This level has been applied by many localities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, since the last school year. For educational institutions that are already self-sufficient, the maximum ceiling is 2-2.5 times the above level.

Based on this ceiling and local conditions, the Provincial/City People's Council decides on the tuition fee framework for public preschool and primary/secondary schools in the area.

In the submission, the Ministry of Education and Training also clearly stated the roadmap: starting from the 2024-2025 school year, the tuition fee framework and rates will be adjusted to suit the socio-economic conditions of the locality, the rate of increase in the consumer price index, and the economic growth rate, but not exceeding 7.5% per year.

Source