Financing for equity in higher education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students
4. Support for students' living costs
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
According to the 2024 UIS database, the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes is 23.73%. According to the 2020 UIS database, the initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita is 16.60. No information is available regarding the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita.
Tuition-free status
Public tertiary education in Bangladesh is not strictly “tuition-free.” While public universities receive substantial government subsidies - meaning that tuition and fees are kept relatively low - students still have to pay tuition or other fees.
Governance
The principal government authority responsible is the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC), which functions under the Ministry of Education through the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED). UGC is the apex body overseeing higher education: it regulates public and private universities, allocates public funds to government-funded universities, advises the government on university development, and ensures quality standards across institutions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There are no funding mechanisms for transferring resources from the central government to local governments for public higher education, as higher education is centrally managed and centrally disbursed.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
Private universities are legally established as non-profit institutions under the 2010 Private University Act and are expected to finance themselves largely from tuition and other own-source revenues.
Allocation and equity
Government subsidies for public higher-education institutions are allocated centrally through the UGC from the national budget managed by the Ministry of Education through the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED) and approved via the Ministry of Finance. Each year, the UGC approves and disburses a combination of “revenue” (recurrent/operating) and “development” (capital/project) budgets to public universities. The allocation framework does not include institution-specific equity provisions or targeted funding formulas for particular groups.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
The 2023-2031 National Strategic Plan for Higher Education Colleges emphasises that higher education institutions shall not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, caste, socioeconomic background, physical disability, or other status when admitting students. However, there is no evidence of a uniform national admissions quota for all public universities that mandates reserved seats for vulnerable groups (across all institutions).
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
Scholarships and grants for higher education are available under the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust (PMEAT), which was established by the 2012 Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust Act. The Act mandates support for poor and meritorious students (i.e., those with verified financial need and academic merit), and governance is anchored in an advisory council chaired by the Prime Minister, with administration under the Ministry of Education. In practice, PMEAT provides admission-assistance grants (for example, BDT 10,000 for bachelor-level entrants) and ongoing stipends/scholarships to eligible students across public and private institutions.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
There is no central government support for student transportation in higher education; any assistance is provided individually by universities through their own transport services.
Accommodation
There is no centrally managed student accommodation program; housing support is offered only by universities, mainly public institutions that provide their own hostels.
Textbooks
There is no central government program for providing textbooks or study materials; support comes from university libraries, departmental book banks, or faculty-provided resources.
