“They will not be able to pay debts within two years after the graduate if they take jobs with low income,” he said. 

Some universities (4-5 year training) and junior colleges (3-year training) have increased tuition by 10 percent for the new 2015-2016 academic year. The tuition for full-time university education is between VND1.75 million and VND4.4 million a month, depending on the major.   

Medical and pharmaceutical students have to bear the highest tuition levels, about VND44 million per year. 

As such, after five years of studying at the schools, each student would spend over VND300 million.

Hanoi Economics University, one of the most prestigious schools, collects VND11.5 million from every student for the 2015-2016 academic year and plans to collect VND13.5 million the next academic year.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Foreign Trade University, also one of the top-tier schools, has set the annual tuition level at VND14.5 million for 2015-2016 and VND16 million for 2016-2017 academic year.

Dong noted that the tuition increases would deprive poor students of the opportunities to follow university education. In principle, students can borrow money from banks to fund their study. However, it is clear that the bank loans are not enough for students to cover basic needs in large cities and continue studying.

A university student said he dare not borrow money because he fears he cannot pay debts.

“A friend of mine has luckily got a job as a teacher at a prestigious high school in Hanoi. He receives VND50,000 for one teaching period (45 minutes per period) and has 8 periods a week. As such, he can earn less than VND2 million a month. The income is not enough to cover his basic needs, let alone paying debt,” he said.

Dr. Tran Xuan Nhi, deputy chair of the Vietnam Association of Universities and Junior Colleges, also noted that the tuition increases would affect the poor.

He noted that while schools raise tuition constantly, no one can determine if the instruction has improved.

A fourth-year student at the Vietnam Agriculture Academy confirmed that the tuition has been increasing steadily year on year. When he entered the school, he had to pay VND145,000 for one credit, but now had to pay VND215,000 for one credit for the first semester of the 2015-2016 academic year.

Dan Viet