Many universities have not increased tuition fees

Many universities have not increased tuition fees according to the Government 's new ceiling, to share difficulties with learners and fulfill their enrollment commitments.

A week ago, the Government issued Decree 97, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree 81 on public tuition fees. Accordingly, the roadmap for increasing university tuition fees was delayed by one year.

Specifically, the tuition ceiling (the highest level that can be collected) at public universities that are not self-sufficient in regular expenses this school year is 12-24.5 million VND/year, depending on the major, instead of 13.5-27.6 million as in Decree 81. The current collection level is 9.8-14.3 million VND.

Autonomous schools (paying their own salaries, allowances, facilities, etc.) can collect a maximum of 2-2.5 times the above level. With quality-accredited training programs, universities can determine their own tuition fees.

Representatives of many schools said that although the current tuition fees are lower than the ceiling set by the Government, they will not charge more. Because at the end of the year, increasing tuition fees could put more pressure on parents and students.

At the National Economics University, tuition fees currently range from VND10.5-35 million per year for the standard program. The school plans to keep this level stable this year and next, while according to Decree 97, the school is allowed to collect VND24-61 million, nearly double the current amount, because it is completely autonomous.

"I think universities need to fulfill their social responsibility and share with students in the context of economic difficulties," said Professor Pham Hong Chuong, principal of the National Economics University. He said the school is also looking for more sources of scholarships and financial support for students.

The second reason is that when enrolling students last year, many schools announced tuition fees and committed not to increase them, so it was difficult to collect more, according to Associate Professor Nguyen Xuan Hoan, Chairman of the Council of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade.

For example, Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport has announced tuition fees of 10.6-23.1 million VND per year according to the old decree and will remain stable for four consecutive years (2020-2024). Therefore, the school will keep the current tuition fee.

In addition, some schools have increased tuition fees since the beginning of the year, according to the ceiling of the old decree, which is close to the new level so there is no adjustment. For example, at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, the average tuition fee for engineering majors is 32 million VND per year, for economics majors is 30 million. Compared to the new tuition ceiling, this level is slightly lower (36 million VND per year).

Parents and new students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade pay tuition fees, September 2023. Photo: HUIT — Parents and students of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade pay tuition fees upon enrollment, September 2023. Photo: *HUIT*

However, according to Dr. Phan Hong Hai, Chairman of the Council of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, from the next school year, tuition fees will be adjusted, but not considered to increase sharply. Some schools have similar plans, such as Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, Ho Chi Minh City University of Transport, and Mining and Geology.

Of which, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade is expected to increase by about 5%, to nearly 25 million VND per year, lower than the ceiling for fully autonomous schools. Tuition for the University of Mining and Geology is expected to increase to 12.5-14.5 million VND, about 2 million lower than the ceiling.

Mr. Le Xuan Thanh, Head of the Department of Political and Student Affairs, University of Mining and Geology, said that the tuition fee increase will help improve many benefits for students. Because the value of scholarships, loan amounts and many other support packages are all calculated based on tuition fees.

In addition, according to Dr. Quach Thanh Hai, Head of the Department of Postgraduate Training, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education, when tuition fees increase, schools have resources to invest in facilities, practice rooms, research, and increase salaries for lecturers. For scholarships and student support alone, this year the school has set aside 50 billion VND, nearly double that of previous years.

Schools all said they would carefully consider the increase to suit the difficult economic context. Along with that, they focus on improving the quality of training as well as scholarship policies, student support and early communication so that students and their families can prepare financially.

Tuition fees for non-autonomous public universities from the 2023-2024 to 2026-2027 academic year (unit: thousand VND/month) are as follows:

Industry	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26	2026/27
Block I: Educational Science and Teacher Training	1,250	1,410	1,590	1,790
Block II: Art	1,200	1,350	1,520	1,710
Industry III: Business and management, law	1,250	1,410	1,590	1,790
Block IV: Life sciences, natural sciences	1,350	1,520	1,710	1,930
Block V: Mathematics, computer statistics, information technology, engineering technology, engineering, production and processing, architecture and construction, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, veterinary medicine	1,450	1,640	1,850	2,090
Sector VI.1: Other health sectors	1,850	2,090	2,360	2,660
Industry Block VI.2: Medicine and Pharmacy	2,450	2,760	3.110	3,500
Sector VII: Humanities, social and behavioral sciences, journalism and information, social services, tourism, hotels, sports, transportation services, environment and environmental protection	1,200	1,500	1,690	1,910