Varsity fee crunch

Cash-strapped parents should brace themselves for substantial university tuition fee hikes next year.

The fee increases, combined with hikes in residence fees and other costs, are likely to prevent the majority of households from enrolling their children at the country's 23 universities - unless they qualify for government aid, bursaries or other forms of financial assistance.

Thousands of university students will also not receive their final results this year, attend their graduation ceremonies or be able to register next year because of outstanding fees.

The University of Johannesburg will increase its tuition fees by 9.5% next year.

• The most expensive degree is a BSc with laboratory subjects, which will cost R46000 next year. The cost of a science degree with non-laboratory subjects is estimated to rise from R27700 to R32790. At the University of Cape Town, the typical first-year tuition towards a BCom degree will cost between R44000 and R56500 next year, up from between R39500 and R51000 this year. For most programmes at UCT, the total cost of study - including tuition, books, food allowance, housing, local travel and other necessities - will amount to R80000 a year.
• The Cape Peninsula University of Technology will increase its tuition fees by 6%, while residence fees will go up by 8%.
• The University of Zululand's fees will go up by between 5% and 10%.
• The cost at the University of KwaZulu-Natal this year was R72000 for tuition, residence and food. The university advises its prospective students to budget for an increase of at least 10% next year.
• The Tshwane University of Technology has not yet decided on its fee increase but the cost of tuition this year rose by 8.5%.
• The University of Witwatersrand is still in consultation on its new fee structure. Over the past three years, the institution has increased its fees by between 7% and 10%.

Council on Higher Education chief executive Ahmed Essop yesterday said the hikes might create a problem for students but universities had to sustain themselves.

''Institutions tend to increase fees on an annual basis to keep up with inflation and other costs. Often those costs are linked to buying books and equipment from outside the country. Because of the rand exchange rate the costs are much higher,'' Essop said.

But the SA Students Congress said the annual increases would discourage many prospective students from enrolling at tertiary institutions.

The Department of Higher Education and Training estimates that nearly one in five young South Africans are enrolled at the country's universities, a figure that is ''far too low'', according to Sasco secretary-general Themba Masondo.

''The increase [in] higher education [costs] is a ridiculous attempt by the institutions to exclude the poor from higher education and training. Education in the country is already expensive as it is, and these increases [in] higher education are beyond our GDP,'' Masondo said.

He said a new funding model should be put in place to prevent universities from increasing tuition fees on an annual basis.

''Universities tend to use amounts of subsidies they receive from government as a scapegoat by saying they get too little funding,'' Masondo said.

A shocking 13000 of the 16500 students enrolled at the University of Zululand have not paid their fees in full this year.

The 2013 student debt figures for Wits will be available next year. However, about R17-million is outstanding from last year.

"But the figure decreases on a daily basis as monies are being collected," Wits University spokesman Shirona Patel said.

Over 50% of Wits students are on financial aid or have external bursaries.

The University of Johannesburg is planning to recover a significant portion of the 31% of outstanding fees from 49200 students, deputy vice-chancellor of finance Jaco van Schoor said.

"We also enter into a payment arrangement to assist students who perform academically to continue their studies," he said.

UCT said it had a small percentage of outstanding fee debt and was proud of its fee collection record .

Under the UCT financial aid, a student from a family earning an income of less than R50000 a year will be required to make a contribution of R1000.

The schemealso assists students whose family income ranges between R230000 and R480000.