Khaberni - The national campaign for student rights "Khaberni" urged the House of Representatives to mandate the government not to increase the fees of official universities, introduce specializations with high tuition fees, or revisit the entirety of raises and newly established specializations since 2017.
The campaign confirmed that these demands come after a study released by the campaign highlighted the significant rise in the cost of university education from 2017 to the present, showing an unprecedented increase in tuition fees, in addition to the introduction of new specializations with astronomical fees.
The campaign attached a table demonstrating the scale of changes that have occurred in university fees from the academic year 2017/2018 to the current academic year 2025/2026. The table is as follows:
1_ There were 393 changes in specializations, most of which were directed towards raising educational costs and increasing revenues at the expense of students (raising fees, introducing specializations with high fees, and eliminating specializations with acceptable fees).
2_ A total of 164 new specializations with high fees were introduced. For example, the University of Science and Technology introduced 28 specializations, of which 27 specializations have fees of 60 dinars or more for competition, and 110 dinars or more for parallel programs. Mu'tah University and the Hashemite University introduced a dentistry specialization with fees amounting to 150 dinars for competition and 250 dinars for parallel programs.
3_ Tuition has been raised for 118 specializations, with the majority of them showing increases exceeding 100%. For instance, Al al-Bayt University raised fees in 29 specializations, 18 of which were raised by 100% or more, and the same applies to Mu'tah University, which raised fees for 33 specializations, 11 of which were raised by more than 100%.
Khaberni urged the House of Representatives to make one of the primary conditions for approving the current budget under discussion as follows:
1_ Halt the ongoing increase in university tuition fees across all official universities. In recent years, according to a study by Khaberni, tuition fees in most official universities have been raised by rates reaching up to 150% in many specializations and peripheral universities.
2_ Not to introduce any new university specializations with fees exceeding 30 dinars per hour as a maximum. The last five years have seen the introduction of specializations with astronomical fees, reaching 80 dinars for competition and 110 dinars for parallel programs.
3_ Form a joint parliamentary and governmental committee to re-evaluate all university fees, ensuring a reconsideration of fees for newly introduced and increased-fee specializations, to make them affordable for citizens. It is unreasonable for the cost of studying a dentistry specialization at Mutah University or the Hashemite University to be about 150 dinars per hour, which is nearly ten thousand dollars annually.
4_ Increase the number of scholarships and loans provided by the Student Support Fund by increasing its budget, to ensure that no less than 90% of the applicants are accepted.
The campaign believes that these demands are only the minimum acceptable standard for our official universities to return to their normal state as institutions established to provide higher education to citizens at symbolic prices and to stop the privatization series of universities through raising their fees beyond the cost price.
We at the national campaign for student rights "Khaberni" believe that the House of Representatives becomes complicit in targeting citizens and depriving their children of their right to education if it remains a spectator and does not take serious measures to halt the escalating cost of education for citizens.
