Cyprus Minister sets out ceiling on university fees

The Minister of Education and Culture has issued a decree setting out a ceiling on fees in private universities, at 0.45% of the current cost, applicable as of September 2011.

This is the first time Minister Andreas Demetriou has issued such a decree.

Demetriou has told a press conference that the dialogue with representatives from the private universities continues with a view to help these universities become non profit institutions.

He said that the Ministry is also considering introducing a similar regulation to govern the fees at private schools, both at the primary as well as the secondary level.

The decree was issued following legislation passed by the House recently to regulate fees and other financial costs imposed by the universities.

The legislation stipulates that students must be told before the start of their studies about the cost of approved fees and other financial costs they will incur throughout the duration of their studies.

Asked if the private universities agree with the decree, the Minister said there was dialogue with the social partners and all interested parties before the law was passed.

He also explained that the ceiling in fees will be reviewed annually.

The penalty for non conformity with the law stands at 60,000 euro, including suspension of operation if a university fails to comply repeatedly.