September 1 is the momentous day when students register at their universities. This day symbolizes the start of a new semester and this day inevitably evokes mixed feelings: hopes, dreams, fears, jubilation and anxiety.

This academic year the government has stipulated that without the formal approval of Chinese educational authorities, tuition fees and accommodations cannot be raised arbitrarily. So what is the current situation?

 

New Semester, More Fees?

September 1 is the momentous day when students register at their universities. This day symbolizes the start of a new semester and this day inevitably evokes mixed feelings: hopes, dreams, fears, jubilation and anxiety.

This academic year the government has stipulated that without the formal approval of Chinese educational authorities, tuition fees and accommodations cannot be raised arbitrarily. So what is the current situation?

No rise in public universities

September 5 witnessed the freshman Zhao Jing's first day as a student in the Economics Department of the Renmin University of China. She had previously applied for the state educational loans to cover her 5,000 yuan tuition (US$625) and 800 yuan accommodation fee (US$100).

Her father said: "Both of my children are in college now. Zhao Jing has an older sister who was enrolled in the Northern University for Nationalities in the Ningxia Autonomous Region two years ago. My family has to spend more than 10,000 yuan (about US$1250) on her education and necessities every year. For all four years, we will need more than 50,000 yuan (US$6250)."

"Thanks to the government's policy, the educational fees have not been raised. Even so, we almost cannot bear to pay them as they are now," he added.

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Two Decades Witness Changes of Education Fees

Xiao Meiyuan hails from a small and remote village in Wangcheng County of Hunan Province. She clearly remembers that in the early 1980s, except for their traveling expenses, students in her village didn't pay any extra fees for their university education. Now, 17 years later, with 2,800 yuan (US$350) in tuition fees and 600 yuan (US$75) in accommodation charges, her son has gone to college.

The year of 1997 witnessed the national implementation of a self-funded higher education policy. At that time college students began to contribute part of their education fees.

And now? According to Vice Education Minister Zhang Baoqing, after the state's studies into an average school's annual costs, the per capita education fees range from 14,000 yuan (US$1,750) to 10,000 yuan (US$1,250). Students are required to pay for nearly a quarter of the total amount, 3,500 yuan (US$437.5).

But in fact, college charges in the Guangxi Autonomous Region ranged from 5,000 yuan (US$625) to 6,000 yuan (US$750) while the average charge standard for Shanghai's universities and colleges is 5,000 yuan (US$625) per academic year.

Statistics from Professor Wang Shanmai, director of the Research Center of Education Economics under Beijing Normal University, showed that the average growth rate during 1993 and 1997 was 27.65 percent. In 1999, the tuition fees reached 2,769 yuan (US$346), jumping about 40.3 percent higher than in 1998.

The charges kept soaring. In 2000, the average education costs were up to 5,000 yuan (US$625) and accommodation charges increased from 200-300 yuan (US$25—37.5) to around 1,000 yuan (US$125).

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No Changes in Tuition under CPI Pressure

The consumer price index (CPI) – a key gauge of inflation – hit a 10-year high of 5.6 percent in July and rose by an average of 3.5 percent in the first seven months of the year. Rising food costs contributed an increase of 2.9 percentage points, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

Public concern over recent soaring CPI has provoked fear that tuition fees will also rise. To date, education authorities in Guangxi Autonomous Region have managed not to raise their education fees.

Information from local authorities indicates that the average fees ran about 12,000 yuan (US$150) per academic year. But in fact, college charges ranged from 5,000 yuan (US$625) to 6,000 yuan (US$750).

Meanwhile, the average ratio of students from impoverished families in Guangxi"s colleges has reached 10 percent.

"Under CPI pressure, the school needs to try its best to ease the financial burden of their students," stressed Huang Zhaokang, headmaster of the Guangxi Polytechnic Institute of Construction. "Bank pressures and a population of 5.5 percent impoverished students are heavy burdens for us. The school"s primary income derives from tuition fees, accommodations and meals."

He said that in order to stabilize the price of meals served in its canteens in the wake of recent hikes in food prices, the school has lowered rent for cafeteria contractors in order to reduce their costs.

To get more financial support, he admitted that the school has initiated larger activities and charged training courses.

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Shanghai Enhances Education Fees Management

Having successfully applied for the state educational loans, a freshman surnamed Sun from the Micro-Electronics Department of the East China Normal University was able to pay his 5,000 yuan (US$625) tuition and 800 yuan (US$100) accommodation fees.

"The fees are reasonable and acceptable. Maybe they are the lowest in Shanghai," said Sun.

The average charge standard for Shanghai's universities and colleges is 5,000 yuan (US$625) per academic year and according to local regulations, without the formal approval of educational authorities, tuition and accommodation fees cannot be raised arbitrarily.

Jin Liyan from the East China University of Political Science and Law said that the average tuition fee for law is 7,000 yuan (US$875), higher than other majors.

"Several years ago, the average costs were as much as about 10,000 yuan (US$1250). But now we pay less and our accommodation charges do not rise. It is great for us students," Jin added.

Qiu Sainan from Shanghai Normal University said: "As a student, no matter how high the education fees are, we have to pay for it."

She questioned the need to pay 5,000 yuan tuition for one academic year. "It is too vague and unclear. We do not know how these charges are made."

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Former Vice Minister Explains Education Fees

According to former Vice Education Minister Zhang Baoqing, it is still difficult to accurately calculate tuition fees.

He explained that there are two ways to estimate the education costs. One is "academic year payment" which means that all expenditures of school in one academic year should be factored in; the other is called "tuition fees including investment" that cover all the investments and costs during the past years as well as in the future.

"In fact, both of the methods are difficult to put into practice," he said, adding that China generally adopts the second method.

Zhang said that there is no standard for scientific allocation of the long-term investments on fundamental facilities to college students, such as land, academic buildings, dormitory compounds and research centers.

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Colleges Stabilize Meal Prices

The consumer price index hit a 10-year high of 5.6 percent in July, causing students to worry that their meal prices on campus would also go up.

Statistics showed that the average price of a dish served up in university cafeterias in Beijing, Wuhan and Guangzhou recently had increased by 0.1 yuan (1.3 cents) to one yuan (13 cents).

Some students from Peking University are even choosing to dine at neighboring Tsinghua University because the latter is currently maintaining cheaper meal prices.

Resources from Xinhua News Agency reported that the central government has earmarked an 8.44 million yuan allowance fund (US$1.055 million) for more than 600,000 college students from impoverished families in Guangxi Autonomous Region to cover two months' living expenses.

The Ministry of Education ordered all universities to stabilize their canteen meal prices in the wake of recent food price hikes.

The cost of keeping the canteen meal prices down will be borne by the universities and local governments, which have been told to increase subsidies to campus cafeterias.

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(China.org.cn by Wang Ke September 11, 2007)