Why Universities Charge Varying Fees for the Same Courses
Why Universities Charge Varying Fees for the Same Courses. Under a new funding model that will take effect in September, public universities will be allowed to set tuition fees for degree programs they offer for the first time.
This step is part of the administration’s plan to ensure the smooth running of the institution.
Dr Merki Wahome, who is the Executive Director of Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS), said tuition fees vary from university to college.
This, he said, depends on criteria such as the cost of living in different cities, the number of students and the number of academic staff.
“So you see a program that many students can afford because the tuition fees are spread among the students,” said Dr Wahome. “So you’re looking at an affordable program for a lot of students.”
In the past, the cost of education was calculated by the University Foundation Board using the old funding method, technically called the Differentiated Unit Cost or DUC.
However, Dr. Wahome is of the opinion that DUC is unsustainable because public universities do not admit enough students even though they have a large number of teachers.
In a situation like this, it defies the wisdom to pay staff if there aren’t enough students to guarantee availability.
Dr. Wahome explained that this change may require educational institutions to re-evaluate the importance of their curriculum depending on the number of students they enroll.
Why Universities Charge Varying Fees for the Same Courses
This creates the possibility that some courses may be withdrawn from the school.
“For public universities, you have to rethink whether it is viable to run a program that no longer attracts students but pays the faculty,” said Dr. Wahome. “Private universities should not revisit that question.”
He was speaking in Naivasha at a session to raise awareness about the new funding system.
Dr Wahome explained that Kisii University has succeeded in attracting a large number of students because some institutions offer cheaper courses.
Geoffrey Monary, executive director of the University Foundation, said it would allow the university to make its own decisions, confirming the need for autonomy to choose costs.
According to Monari, this autonomy will help educational institutions better plan how they can support their operations.
“In the future, each university will determine how much tuition and operation costs. According to Monari, “Planning now becomes more important for the Deputy Prime Minister because they now have to plan properly to prevent overstaffing.”
The courses are from the most expensive to the cheapest
Medicine, Dental Surgery, Pharmacy and Engineering, which are KCSE’s most desirable degree programs, will be the most expensive degree courses under the new university’s financial model. This is because these degree programs require the most training and education.
Some universities can cost up to 600,000 Kenyan shillings for a first-year student studying medicine or dental surgery and enrolling in school this September; the amount varies depending on the university.
Medical students at Kenyatta, JKUAT, Maseno and Moi universities will have to pay a maximum tuition fee of Sh612,000 for the first year, according to the revised university program fees provided by KUCCPS.
However, students who wish to study medicine can join Egerton or Masinde Muliro University, which will cost Sh337,940 or Sh306,000 respectively for the same course. These universities provide a cheaper alternative. This is half of what students at Kenyatta University, JKUAT, Maseno University and Moi University pay.
Moi University and the University of Nairobi will pay students Sh612,000 for the first year of a dental surgery degree, the only degree program in Kenya offered only at these two universities.
A tuition fee of Sh367,200 is required for students admitted to JKUAT who wish to study Architecture, as well as students who have achieved the highest KCSE score.
Why Universities Charge Varying Fees for the Same Courses