Tuition fees for public preschools and general education institution from the 2023-2024 academic year in Vietnam

Tuition fees for public preschools and general education institution from the 2023-2024 academic year in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On December 31, 2023, the Government issued Decree 97/2023/ND-CP amending a number of articles of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP dated August 27, 2021 of the Government on tuition fees of educational institutions affiliated to national education program and collection, management thereof; policies on tuition fee exemption, reduction, and learning cost financing; service fees in education and training.

Tuition fees for public preschools and general education institution from the 2023-2024 academic year in Vietnam

According to Clause 3 of Article 9 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP (amended in Decree 97/2023/ND-CP), tuition fees for public preschools and general education institution from the 2023-2024 academic year in Vietnam are stipulated as follows:

- Regarding educational institutions that have yet to cover their recurrent expenditures: Maintain the stable tuition fees of the 2023-2024 academic year equal to the tuition fees of the 2021-2022 academic year promulgated by provincial People's Councils that have been locally applied.

- Regarding educational institutions that have guaranteed their recurrent expenditures or recurrent expenditures and investment expenditures: they shall determine the tuition fees based on the technical-economic norms and cost norms and submit reports to the People’s Committees for presentation to provincial People’s Councils for consideration and approval”.

If provincial People’s Committees and educational institutions have issued the tuition range or tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year under Decree 81/2021/ND-CP with increased tuition fees compared to the 2021-2022 academic year, local budgets shall cover the increased amount compared to the tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year. The rate of support for each educational institution shall be decided by local authorities.

If provincial People’s Committees and educational institutions have issued the tuition range or tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year under Decree 81/2021/ND-CP with increased tuition fees compared to the 2021-2022 academic year, but local budgets cannot cover the increased amount compared to the tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year, make adjustments following Decree 97/2023/ND-CP.

(Point a of Clause 2 of Article 3 of Decree 97/2023/ND-CP)

Tuition fees for private education institutions from the 2023-2024 academic year in Vietnam

Private education institutions are allowed to develop tuition and fees for other services in education and training sectors (except for services whose fees are regulated by the Government) in a manner that can cover costs and accumulate reasonably while publicizing and presenting tuition and fees for services that they have decided to the learners and the general public;

Private education institutions are responsible for providing explanation for average education and training costs for a student, annual tuition, tuition for the entire education level in case of preschools, formal education, and tuition for the entire course in case of higher education institutions; providing explanation for roadmap and rate of increasing tuition in subsequent years (annual rate of increasing tuition must not exceed 15% for higher education; 10% for preschool education and formal education), publicizing as per the law, and presenting to the learners and the general public;

Students eligible for tuition exemption, reduction, or financing in private education institutions shall be covered by the government in terms of tuition with maximum covered amount equal to tuition applicable to students in local public education institutions that have not guaranteed recurrent expenditure entirely;

People's Committees of provinces shall rely on socio-economic development conditions of local administrative divisions, requirements of primary education program, number of students in primary education level, and number of students/class in primary education level as per the law to develop criteria for identifying local administrative divisions without sufficient number of public education institutions, present to People's Councils of provinces for approval and decision on financing for tuition of primary students in private schools in areas without sufficient number of public schools in each school year; expenditure on tuition financing shall be granted by state budget according to Law on State Budget and guiding documents.

(Clause 4 of Article 8 of Decree 81/2021/ND-CP) 

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