College tuition is still low

The Ministry made the above comments at a conference on higher education on August 9.

According to regulations, the tuition ceiling (the highest level that can be collected) at public universities that are not self-sufficient in regular expenses for the 2023-2024 school year is 1.2-2.45 million VND per month, depending on the major. By the 2026-2027 school year, the ceiling will increase to 1.7-3.5 million VND per month.

Autonomous schools (paying their own salaries, allowances, repairing facilities, etc.) can collect a maximum of 2-2.5 times the above level, or about 2.4-6.1 million VND in the last school year. By 2026, this level will be 3.4-8.75 million VND.

With accredited training programs, universities are free to determine their own tuition fees.

This tuition fee increase roadmap has been delayed by one year compared to Decree 81 of the Government in 2021. Previously, university tuition fees were kept stable for 3 years to share difficulties with parents and students due to the impact of Covid-19.

The Ministry of Education and Training said that the current tuition fee roadmap does not meet the requirements of Resolution 19 on continuing to innovate the organization and management system, improving the quality and efficiency of public service units. The reason is that "the tuition fee framework and level are still low, not enough to cover training costs".

In addition, the basic salary increased from 1.8 to 2.34 million VND (up 30%) from July 1, leading to an increase in the salary fund of the units. According to the Ministry, this makes it difficult for schools to balance their revenue sources to maintain regular operations and improve training quality.

Prof. Dr. Chu Duc Trinh, Principal of the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, acknowledged that it is difficult to say whether current tuition fees are high or low, but the reality is that the current collection level is not enough to cover the school's training costs.

The salary increase from July 1st creates a huge additional burden. From July to the end of the year, the school needs to spend about 12 billion VND more on salaries for lecturers. Therefore, some plans planned to be implemented this year will have to be postponed to next year.

"Salary needs to be higher, especially in technology and engineering fields. Lecturers' salaries in these fields must be comparable to those of businesses to retain them," said Mr. Trinh.

At the same time, the school must continue to invest in facilities, laboratories and practice rooms to improve training quality.

According to Mr. Trinh, in the context that tuition fees are still the main source of income for universities, too low a fee will cause schools to face countless difficulties. However, it is very difficult for schools to increase tuition fees sharply because it puts great pressure on students.

To solve this problem, the University of Technology chose to invest in a "cut your coat according to your cloth" manner, finding effective management solutions to save operating costs.

However, Mr. Trinh said there are things that cannot be saved such as lecture materials, training programs, practice, and internships because these parts directly affect the quality of training.

Therefore, Mr. Trinh also hopes that students consider paying tuition fees as an investment and will quickly recover it after starting work.

Most universities have announced tuition fees for 2024. The lowest is 12 million VND, commonly at 20-30 million VND per year.