Universities hike tuition fees

By Pascal Kwesiga and Innocent Anguyo

PARENTS of students at the university must prepare to dig deeper in their pockets as tuition and functional fees are set to be hiked in a number of private and public universities in the country.

At Makerere, rising costs has forced the oldest public university to halt the feeding of private students who hitherto paid just sh2,000 per day for breakfast, lunch and supper. 

This will raise the feeding cost for the students since they have to dig deeper in their pockets to buy food in the nearby eateries on a daily basis or alternatively cook their own food outside halls of residence.

The increase in fees is rooted in the rising costs of running universities. In public universities, the university councils, the top governing bodies, are only allowed to set new tuition fees provided they get approval from the Government. 

However, they are allowed to increase functional fees. In this case, Makerere and Kyambogo universities are already mooting moves to increase the functional fees, with the former doubling some of their fees.

The last time public universities increased tuition fees was in 2009, several years after the previous increment in 1991. When public universities increased their fees by that time, it was by 40%.

A number of private universities could not commit themselves on whether they would increase their tuition fees since their governing bodies had not yet finalised the resolutions, and they also consider discussing the topic as negative publicity. 

But sources in most of the outstanding private universities revealed that the governing bodies were likely to hike tuition fees by about 10% to 20%.

Makerere's case

Makerere University is already mooting a move to double its functional fees on accommodation and feeding. The university’s management presented a proposal to increase accommodation and feeding fees for students in the next semester, citing escalating operational costs.

Makerere’s management wants accommodation fees in halls of residence raised by 100% from sh440,000 to sh880,000 annually for Ugandan students. They also want feeding costs for Ugandan students in the halls of residence hiked by 100% from 240,000 to sh480,000 per semester.

The proposal may also see international students parting with sh1,920, 000 for accommodation annually, up from the current sh960, 000. They may also pay sh960, 000 for accommodation each semester, up from the current sh480, 000.

With the current feeding rates, Ritah Namisango, the University’s public relations officer, says it is estimated that the university provides break tea, lunch and supper to a student at a cost of sh2,000 every day.

However, the council has resolved that the proposal to increase accommodation and feeding fees be stayed until the 2014/2015 academic year; though it appreciated that the university has been spending about sh4,000 to feed a student daily. 

This implies that the university was spending an extra sh2,000 for each student above what it is paid.

Much as Makerere has not raised accommodation fees, feeding and functional fees, the oldest public institution has taken tough measures to ensure that the 60% fees payment policy is implemented in the next academic year.

According to Namisango, a recent university council meeting resolved to ensure that all privately-sponsored students pay 60% of the tuition and all functional fees at the beginning of every semester.

“All privately-sponsored first year student will be required to pay tuition and all functional fees before the issuance of admission letters,” she added.

According to the new changes, all students are also required to have paid 100% of the tuition by the end of the sixth week of the semester. 

Any student who would not have cleared tuition by that time should have paid all functional fees and 60% of tuition if they are to be allowed to do 60% of the course load.

“All privately sponsored students should have paid full functional fees and accommodation fees before staying in the hall of residence,” Namisango added. 

The Kyambogo University public relations officer, Lawrence Madete, says the institution’s governing council had approved an increment in the functional fees payable by students per year.

However, the amount of money to be paid by the student as functional fees will vary, depending on the course one will be pursuing.

It may not be long before public universities also demand a tuition fee increment.

The education and sports minister, Jessica Alupo, says Makerere and Kyambogo have already presented proposals for tuition fees increment to the ministry.

She says the two major public universities, have cited inflation as the major reason as to why they want tuition fees increased.

“We have told them that they cannot increase tuition fees now. I have assured them that their proposals will soon be discussed by Cabinet and a decision will be taken at that level,” she adds.

Private universities

Meanwhile, several private universities, across the country have increased fees.

Uganda Christian University (UCU), which is one of the top private universities in the country, has also increased tuition fees for some of its courses by over 15%.

The public relations officer of UCU, Prim Tumuramye, says tuition fees were likely to be increased by 10% or 12% in the next academic year. The university raises fees by 10% each year.

She explained that the university raised tuition by 13% in 2010 due to high rates of inflation, but reduced to a 12% hike in 2012 as inflation rates came down.

“This year, the raise is likely to be between 10% and 12%. But the university has not yet decided on the exact percentage. We are still meeting high costs of running the university because the economic conditions are not yet stable. But our fees are increased by 10% each year to enable us serve the students better,” Tumuramye says.

Meanwhile, at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), the public relations officer, Shaban Lukooya, says the institution has resolved to revise the tuition upwards by about 10% to suit the “prevailing economic conditions” in the country.

For instance, a student who intends to pursue a bachelor of social sciences will pay sh1,265,000 compared to sh1,100,000 in the last academic year. 

A student intending to pursue computer science, on the other hand, will have to pay sh1,518,000 for a year instead of sh1,320,000 that was paid last year.

The cost of a bachelor of food science and nutrition for a year has been increased from sh1,540,000 to sh1,771,000, while the cost of a bachelor of laws has been increased to sh1, 980,000 from sh1,650,000. Lukooya also said some of the functional fees had already been revised upwards.

In Mountains of the Moon University, in Fort Portal, western Uganda, its finance administrator, Yunusu Kasunguli, says they have approved an increment of some functional fees in the coming academic year.

“The increment is due to the changes we are making in the university. For instance, we have introduced the sports fee of sh10,000 per semester. We shall definitely need money to run such an activity,” Kasunguli explains.

At Ndejje University, the increment has also been slapped on school practice, field work, internship, practicals, industrial training, projects and dissertation fees, according to documentation obtained by Mwalimu.

Apart from increments, new fees have also been introduced in Ndejje University. The new fees include the sports fund, research development and chaplaincy fees.

According to a statement issued to students, parents and staff by Ndejje University’s academic registrar B.M Sekabembe, all students are required to have paid 100% of the tuition before reporting for the semester.

“In the unlikely event that a student fails to pay 100%, he or she must pay 60% or more at the beginning of the semester.

No lectures will be attended by students without 60% payment at the beginning of the semester,” the statement reads.

The same statement explains that changes in the existing fees structure are as a result of the inevitable inflationary tendencies in the country.

Meanwhile, at Bugema University, the chief accountant, Susan Senabulya, says the university plans to raise the tuition fees by 10% in the next intake to be able to meet operational costs.

She explained that the proposal to increase the tuition fees is due to be approved by the university council, adding that, “The university relies only on fees from students. We are trying to see that we can manage our expenses.”

The changes, Senabulya says, will affect the main and regional campuses of the university.

She added that arts and science students pay the same fees. A student at Bugema University pays sh1.8m, including tuition, functional, accommodation and feeding fees.

“The university relies only on fees from students. We had not increased our fees in the last three years, yet the operational costs are high. We are trying to see that we can manage our expenses because they are too high,” Senabulya explains.

The education minister says although the ministry usually has no voice in the processes of setting the fees structures in private universities, they are obliged to inform the line minister through the National Council for Higher Education about their intentions to raise fees.

“I am just learning from you (Mwalimu) that some universities have raised fees and I will take interest in the matter,” Alupo noted.

However, some of the universities and institutions have not increased their tuition and functional fees. 

Some of these include Muteesa Royal I University, Uganda Pentecostal University in Fort Portal, Nkozi, Uganda Technology and Management University, Uganda Management Institute and the International University of East Africa.

The Uganda Pentecostal University public relations officer, Sam Orakire, said although they had not increased fees in the next intake, but may consider doing so in the 2014/2015 intake.

What is your view about the continuous hike of tuition fees? Send your reply to editor Mwalimu at: mwalimu@newvision. co.ug or visit and like our facebook page – Vision Mwalimu