The Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education commented on the amount of tuition fees for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the universities of the country for the new academic year.

“It is known that starting from the 2019/2020 academic year, the cost of one year of tuition per student in higher education institutions of the republic is set at the minimum payout for labor. So, when the amount of salary is increased by the decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and government decrees, the tuition fee will also be increased.

At the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year, during the coronavirus pandemic, a 10% discount was applied to the basic tuition fee amounts (that is, for non-stipend amounts) to support students, particularly given the declining solvency of the population.

That is, although the amount of salary was increased by 10% from February 1, 2021, the amount of the basic tuition fee for which the discount was given for the academic year was maintained.

For example, the amount of full-time tuition fees in the field of education in pedagogy, engineering, humanities was set at 5,771,349 soums after the discount. In fact, the amount of tuition fees in these disciplines should have been 6,412,610 soums from September 1, 2020, and from March 1, 2021 - higher by 16% than the amount set for the academic year, that is, 6,733,555 soums.

Taking into account the above, in accordance with the established procedure, from September 1, 2021 for the 2021/22 academic year (without scholarship) the basic tuition fee amounts should be increased from 7,759,440 soums to 11,869,440 soums, depending on the field of study, by 34.4%.

However, according to the decision of the State Commission, taking into account the pandemic conditions in the country today, the basic tuition fee amounts were approved in reduced amounts compared to the actual amounts. That is, in the 2021/22 academic year, the tuition fee has not been increased by 10%, but it has been established less by 21.1% than in the previous year.

It is noteworthy that the tuition fee amount remains unchanged for full-time students who have been voluntarily vaccinated against coronavirus.

For example, students studying in the fields of pedagogy, engineering, humanities, the basic tuition fee amount without a stipend is 5,771,349 soums after a 10% discount bonus. 

It should be noted that the amount of tuition fees set today covers only an average of 68.4% of the cost of training students.

It is obvious that upon introducing the new order, the government intends to provide benefits and support to families whose children are studying on a tuition fee basis, given the declining solvency of the population in the pandemic condition,” the statement said.