Financing for equity in higher education

1. Education resources to subnational governments

Introduction

Key financing indicators (UIS Data)

No data is found regarding the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes, the initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita, and the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita.

Tuition-free status

The 2012 Provisional Constitution and the 2022-2026 Education Sector Strategic Plan guarantee free education only up to secondary school, with no extension to higher education.

Governance

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE) holds primary responsibility for allocating and overseeing higher education budgets at the federal level.

1. Education resources to subnational governments

There is no established, higher-education–specific intergovernmental funding mechanism through which the Federal Government systematically transfers public resources to Federal Member States for public higher education. According to the 2025 Budget Policy Framework Paper, there are general-purpose federal grants to states and the Benadir Regional Administration, some of which are formula-based or donor-funded and performance-linked, but these transfers are not earmarked for higher education. According to the 2022-2026 Education Sector Strategic Plan, public higher education remains largely centralized at the federal level, as Somalia has only one public university, Somali National University, which is directly financed and overseen by the Federal Government, while the rest of the higher education sector is predominantly private.

2. Education resources to institutions

Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions

The higher education sector is overwhelmingly private, but these institutions are primarily financed through tuition fees, community support, and donor-funded projects rather than recurrent government subsidies.

Allocation and equity

Government subsidies for public higher education are largely centralized and focused on Somali National University, which receives direct federal budget support for its operations, infrastructure rehabilitation, and staffing, rather than formula-based allocations to multiple public institutions.

3. Education resources to students

Admission for vulnerable groups

According to the 2020 National Education Policy, prospective students are required to pass a nationally administered examination to gain admission to higher education institutions. The policy does not identify any national enrolment quotas for specific population groups in higher education programs.

Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups

The Rajo Kaaba Project, implemented by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE) with financing from the World Bank, provide scholarships to women and girls to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in priority fields such as education, public policy, social sciences, psychology, and related development-oriented disciplines.