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 UIS data, in 2021, government expenditure per tertiary student was equivalent to 6.80% of GDP per capita. In 2023, the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes was 44.49%.
Tuition-free status
The New Higher Education Law of 2018 does not stipulate that public tertiary education is tuition-free.
Governance
According to the Higher Education Law No. 6 of 2018, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) is responsible for financing higher education. As outlined in Article 5, it allocates financial resources within the State’s general budget to cover institutional and research expenses and implements policies on scholarships and student aid, in accordance with the funding policies established by the Higher Education Council (HEC). Under Article 7, the HEC develops funding policies and determines the basis of government support, while Article 37 establishes a Higher Education Endowment (waqf), managed by the MoEHE and supervised by the HEC, to enhance the quality of education and research.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
According to the Higher Education Law No. 6 of 2018, financing is centralised under the MoEHE, which allocates funds from the State’s general budget to institutions (Article 5) following policies set by the HEC (Article 7). Subnational entities do not play a financing role in higher education.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
According to the MoEHE, the government provides partial funding to non-governmental higher education institutions. No details were found about how this funding is allocated. Article 38 of the Higher Education Law (2018) also exempts private non-profit higher educational institutions from revenue and customs taxes.
Allocation and equity
According to the MoEHE, the government fully funds public higher education institutions, but there is no clear legal or policy guidance on how government subsidies are allocated to public higher education institutions, nor evidence that these subsidies are targeted toward specific or disadvantaged groups.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
There are no specific admission criteria for vulnerable groups or financial support for their admission.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
The MoEHE administers several internal scholarship programmes for higher education, including the Presidential, Cabinet, and Ministry Scholarships, as well as awards from national institutions. These scholarships are merit-based, granted to top-performing students in the national Tawjihi exams, and they only cover the cost of tuition fees. The MoEHE has also established a student loan fund available to cover tuition fees for students in need.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
No information was found.
Accommodation
No information was found.
Textbooks
According to the General Education Law (2017), the government provides students with textbooks free of charge in all governmental education institutions, which includes higher education. The provision includes textbooks in Braille and enlarged text, but excludes foreign language textbooks.
This profile was reviewed by Alaa Ali Aladini, Assistant Professor of TEFL at Dhofar University.
