University tuitions skyrocket above Ministry-set levels

Published: 13/09/2009 05:00

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LookAtVietnam – Non-state universities are setting high tuitions while state-owned universities are also collecting tuitions above the allowed rates.

Students register to study at the HCM City Polytechnique and Technology University

V. Mao read about Van Lang People-Founded University in HCM City in the book, Top Things You Need to Know about University Enrollment in 2009-2010, published by the Ministry of Education and Training.

The book reported that Van Lang collects 8-9 million dong in tuition per school year.

Mao planned to attend Van Lang as his second choice with a score of 15.5 on the university entrance exams, but the official website states that the lowest tuition is 8.8 million dong http://tuyensinh.vanlanguni.edu.vn. Some majors can cost between 9.4 million and 10 million dong.

Mao plans to study accounting, which costs 9.8 million dong per school year, 800,000 dong higher than the previously reported tuition level.

“My parents saved a specific sum of money to cover all expenses during the first year. However, it is clear now that we will have to pay more,” Mao complained.

Gouging students?

Tien Phong has discovered that all non-state universities have increased tuition levels 12-20 percent higher than that of 2008-2009.

Explaining the higher-than-announced tuitions, Dr Nguyen Dung, President of Van Lang People-Founded University, said that the published tuition was just the expected rate. In the months since the book was published in February 2009, many changes have occurred,

“The university has just set the official tuition rates after considering price increases and scheduled investments in material facilities,” Dung offered.

Concurrently, the Government has set ceilings for university tuitions at 50,000-240,000 dong per month per student, or 2.4 million dong per school year.

However, many universities are trying to collect more. These universities say they all have “reasonable” explanations as to why they have raised tuition charges.

Representatives from the HCM City Open University, for instance, which has shifted to a semi-state institution from being a state-owned university, argued that now they do not receive State support and must raise tuition to cover necessary expenses.

Widespread increases

The Ministry reported that the six million dong tuition at Lac Hong People-Founded University in Dong Nai applied to all study branches. J

Just three months after the book’s release on June 20, 2009, the university’s president, Dr Tran Hanh, signed a 500,000 dong increase. Students must now pay 6.5 million dong instead of six million.

The HCM City Industry University collects 110,000 dong in tuition per credit. A second-year student in the Department of Information Technology said that he needs to have 130 credits to graduate. Thus he must have 32.5 credits per annum and pay tuition fees of 3.575 million dong, or 1.17 million dong above the Ministry’s ceiling level.

Can Tho University has increased tuition by 20,000 dong per credit over 2008-2009. Students need 138 credits to graduate and 34.5 credits per school year.

Their yearly tuition will be 2.76 million dong, 376,000 dong higher than the level established by the State.

Similarly, many students of HCM City Polytechnical and Technology University have been amazed to find that the tuition rate is 1 million dong higher than previously announced. The Ministry of Education and Training had listed its tuition at 4-4.3 million dong per semester.

Additionally, semester and yearly rates differ as well.

Yearly tuition at HCM City Polytechnical and Technology University is between 8.8-9.3 million dong. Students paying tuition four times a year will have to pay more than those who pay tuition once.

Interior and fashion design students must pay 9.3 million dong if they pay once a year; the previously-reported cost was only 8.6 million dong.

HCM City Polytechnical and Technology University President Ho Dac Loc denies that tuition levels are higher than the rates announced in the book, but he does admit that tuition has risen by 12 percent over 2008-2009.

VietNamNet/TT

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