NCHE
National Council of High Eduction

Higher Education Financing                           

In June of 2010, the cabinet took a decision to phase out government financing public  higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) through student loans and subsidies.

It was decided that future financing would be limited to developing, enhancing and maintaining infrastructure at HLIs; to continue offering loans to the neediest students identified through means-testing; and to fund only those students who study programs in priority areas that support the government development agenda.

This policy shift will start with gradually eliminating the subsidy of RW. 250, 000 per student per year or Rw. 25, 000 per month for living expenses.

The core components of the new orientation in Higher Education Financing include:

Only the neediest students, as determined by means-testing, will be eligible for student loans.

Only students studying subjects that support the country’s development priorities in capacity building will be eligible for funding.

Subsidies for living expenses will gradually be eliminated.
A formula elaborating the cost of higher education will disseminated to the public showing that a student loan includes: tuition, fees (lab, library, equipment etc.).

Only the subsidy for living expenses subsidy is being considered for elimination at this time. It should be noted that while the government through SFAR gives RWF. 250, 000 directly to the student, it sends RW 1, 200, 000 to the institution to cover the cost of tuition and other fees for each student.

What the student receives for living expenses  (RW 250, 000) is about 20% of the total cost per student that the government pays and will continue to pay for each student. The 20% is paid in addition to the 1.2 million Rw paid directly to the institution.

In order to continue assisting students, SFAR has established the following procedures:

Collaborate with other governmental institutions like Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), to develop an effective mechanism for collecting outstanding balances due to SFAR.

These balances currently amount to RW 65, 000, 000, 000 (65 billion RW);
Establish a database of individuals who owe money to SFAR;
Use the collected funds to establish a revolving fund to finance students;
Establish eligibility criteria for accessing eligibility for student loans. Such criteria will include the following:

The program a student is pursuing
Need, as established by means testing, including consideration of what the student was able to pay in secondary school
Grades attained in secondary school
Maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as a condition for maintaining eligibility.

HIHER LEARNING INSITUTIONS (HLI) IN RWANDA

Public
1. HIGHER INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY (ISAE)
2. UMUTARA POLYTECHNIC (UP)
3. INSTITUTE OF LEGAL PRACTICE AND DEVELOPMENT (ILPD)
4. BYUMBA SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY (BSNM)
5. KAVUMU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (KACE)
6. KIGALI HEALTH INSTITUTE (KHI)
7. RUKARA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (RCE)
8. KIGALI INSTITUTE OF EDUCTION (KIE)
9. KIBUNGO SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY (KSNM)
10. KICUKIRO COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY (KCT)
11. NYAGATARE SCHOOL OF NURSING & MIDWIFERY (NSNM)
12. KIGALI INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNONOLGY (KIST)
13. TUMBA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY (TCT)
14. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA (NUR)
15. SCHOOL OF FINANCE AND BANKING (SFB)
16. RWAMAGANA SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY (RSNM)
17. KABGAYI SCHOOL OF NURSING AND MIDWIFERY (KSNM)

PRIVATE
18. CATHOLIC INSTITUTE OF KABGAYI (CIK)
19. INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION OF KIBUNGO (UNATEK)
20. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE OF LAY ADVENTIST OF KIGALI (INILAK)
21. KIGALI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (KIM)
22. CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA (CUR)
23. RWANDA TOURISM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (RTUC)
24. KIGALI INDEPENDENT UNIVERSITY (ULK)
25. INSTITUT D’ENSEIGNEMENT SUPERIEUR DE RUHENGERI (INES)
26. PROTESTANT INSTITUTES OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES (PIASS)
27. INSTITUT SUPERIEUR PEDAGOGIQUE DE GITWE (ISPG)
28. ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL AFRICA (AUCA)
29. INSTITUT POLYTECHNIQUE DE BYUMBA (IPB)

Ends