Tuition fees at private and public universities in Egypt have significantly increased in 2024.

For instance, the College of Medicine at King Salman International University saw a steep increase from EGP 115,500 to EGP 138,600. Similarly, the Faculty of Medicine at Mansoura National University raised its fees from EGP 110,000 to EGP 120,000. Al-Ahram Canadian University’s Faculty of Dentistry also experienced a significant jump, climbing from EGP 135,000 to EGP 150,000.

The situation is no different at the German University, where the Faculty of Engineering’s tuition fees surged from a range of EGP 78,950 to EGP 106,650 per semester in 2023 to a staggering EGP 123,400 to EGP 160,000 per semester this year.

This escalating financial burden forces families to make difficult decisions and explore creative ways to mitigate the soaring costs of education. Parents have turned to strategic planning to navigate this challenging landscape.

Ahmed Khaled, an accountant, recounted his financial ordeal.

"I had my heart set on enrolling my son in a private university's business program," he began, "and carefully budgeted based on last year's fees. Imagine my shock when I discovered a staggering 15 percent increase this year! I was forced to explore more affordable options, only to find that every university had raised its tuition."

The challenges, according to Khaled, didn't end there.

His son graduated from an American school, and he was aware of the limited acceptance rate – a mere 5 percent – for such students in public universities.

"If he can't secure a spot in an Egyptian public university," he lamented, "I'll have no choice but to sell another apartment to fund his education at one of the other universities."

Iman Hussein, an unemployed housewife in Badr City, shared, “I have three children. To secure a better university education for our eldest daughter and to cope with the financial strain and exorbitant university fees, my husband and I were compelled to transfer our younger daughters from language school to an experimental school.”

Hussein added that this was a necessary sacrifice to manage the rising costs of her eldest daughter's university education.

Huda Ahmed, a government employee, described her son's pursuit of higher education as an uphill battle.

"Seeing my son struggle to achieve his dream of entering the Faculty of Medicine at a prestigious public university has been incredibly challenging," she said.

"His grades unfortunately won't allow him to secure a place there. To fulfil his aspiration, I must consider national or private universities. Private universities are financially out of reach, so I'll need to take out a bank loan to support his medical education. This is a significant investment, but my son's future is my top priority."

Saeed Salem, a father of twins aspiring to join the College of Computer Science, shared his proactive approach.

"Anticipating a surge in university fees, I took on a second job in addition to my primary employment to secure the necessary funds for their education," Salem said.

Nashwa Shalaby, a physical education teacher at a public school, said that she chose one of the national universities in Alexandria where her son can receive the university education he dreams of.

“To achieve that, I sold my car,” Shalaby said. “This presented a dual challenge for me: financial strain and the difficulty of being far from my son, as I live in Fayoum.”

According to the latest official figures released in 2020, the average annual expenditure of Egyptian families on education in urban areas is approximately EGP 12,829, accounting for 15.7 percent of total income compared to 9.2 percent in rural areas. In contrast, healthcare services represent a considerably lower portion of household expenses, with an average annual expenditure of EGP 6,408, or 10.4 percent of total income.

These figures, released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), were reported before the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war. Both significantly impacted internal and external economic crises, leading to successive waves of local inflation.

In July 2024, Egypt’s yearly headline inflation rate was recorded at 25.6 percent, up from 4.2 percent in July 2020, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and CAPMAS.

Ahmed Diab, Director General of the Faculty of Arts at Fayoum University, spoke to Ahram Online and indicated that every family strives to provide the highest levels of education for its children. Therefore, the Egyptian state ensures that public universities offer excellent education and has established several branches of public universities providing specialized programs.

These specialized programs come with high educational costs, and the state collaborates with Egyptian families to cover these costs. The fees paid by students in these universities do not reflect the actual cost because the state subsidizes a significant portion. On the other hand, private universities are supervised by the Supreme Council of Private and National Universities and aim to elevate educational standards to meet international criteria. Diab added that some Egyptian universities have even made it into global rankings.

The QS World University Rankings 2025 includes 15 Egyptian universities among over 1,500 institutions from 105 countries. Cairo University leads, followed by the American University in Cairo, which climbed to 410th place from 415th last year.  Ain Shams University advanced to 592nd place from the 721-730 range. Alexandria University moved to 801-850, Future University in Egypt and Mansoura University improved to 901-950 and 951-1000, respectively.

Assiut University, the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, and Al-Azhar University (which advanced from 1201-1400) are in the 1001-1200 range. The British University in Egypt, German University in Cairo, Helwan University, Suez Canal University, Tanta University, and Zagazig University remained in the 1201-1400 range. QS ranks universities based on academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, and sustainability, and has published the rankings annually since 2004.

Diab emphasized that Education in Egypt, whether private or public, remains the cheapest in the Middle East and possibly worldwide compared to international education costs. For instance, Badr University’s highest tuition fees are 208,000 EGP, whereas the most affordable universities abroad start at no less than $6,000, excluding travel and other expenses.

Hala Mansour, Professor of Sociology at Ain Shams University, explained to Ahram Online that in light of the economic, social, and political changes occurring in Egyptian society, it has become essential to reassess the traditional role of education as a primary driver of social progress.

Families face a significant financial burden due to inflation. In recent months, inflation has been a major concern, leading to increased costs for essential goods and services, among them educational services. Higher education recorded a 32.5 percent increase in costs in July 2024 compared to July 2023, according to CAPMAS.

Mansour believes that the current stage requires a qualitative shift in understanding and applying educational and training concepts and a focus on acquiring practical and technical skills through specialized training courses to keep pace with the rapid changes in the labour market.

This approach, she continued, can help empower young people to achieve greater career success. It would also alleviate the financial burden on families due to the high costs of traditional education.

Moreover, statistics indicate that approximately 67 percent of graduates over the past decade do not work in their fields of study, Mansour added, highlighting the urgent need to adjust educational and training strategies to align with the real needs of the job market.

According to CAPMAS’ general education statistics for the 2022/2023 academic year, 25.4 million students enrolled in pre-university education while 3.6 million were in higher education institutions.

A government report issued by CAPMAS revealed that higher education graduates rose from approximately 738,000 in 2022 to almost 760,000 in 2023 – a 3 percent increase.