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)
The gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes is 35.64% (UIS 2024 estimates). The initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita is 19 (UIS 2015 estimates). No data is found regarding the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita.
Tuition-free status
Public tertiary education is not tuition-free according to the 2009 Law on Higher Vocational Education and Postgraduate Vocational Education and the 2014 Law on Education.
Governance
The Government of Tajikistan (as the executive office of the President) defines and implements state policy in higher education and approves the overall budgetary framework for the sector. The Ministry of Education and Science is the special body of educational administration responsible for implementing state policy, allocating state budget funds to higher education institutions, and monitoring their use. The Ministry of Finance manages the overall state budget and releases funds to the education sector, while some sectoral ministries and executive bodies (for example, those supervising specialised universities) also play roles in financing and oversight of particular higher education institutions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Public higher education is mainly financed at the republican level.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
There is no clear default public-funding guarantee for private universities simply because a public university is absent: the 2014 Law on Education states that financing of non-state educational institutions is carried out at the expense of the founder(s) and that funding norms for non-state institutions may not be lower than those for state institutions.
Allocation and equity
Government subsidies to public higher education institutions are mainly allocated through historically based line-item budgets with a simple per-student norm, and there is no formula-based equity targeting across institutions. Equity considerations are more visible in project-based funding: for example, the Higher Education Project’s Competitive Grant Program provided 49 grants (20 specifically to support female students) to 24 universities to improve access and relevance, including in vulnerable regions.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
Preferential treatment in the Centralised Entrance Exams (CEE): One of the main admission measures for vulnerable applicants is built into the Centralised Entrance Exams (CEE) administered by the National Testing Centre. Rather than creating separate exams, the system applies standardised admission privileges through additional points added to an applicant’s final competitive score once their status is verified with documents. The most clearly defined vulnerable categories receiving this benefit include orphans and applicants left without parental care (up to age 22) and students with disabilities.
Presidential quota admissions: A second pathway is the Presidential quota, according to the Government Order on Approval of Regulations of Admissions of Students in Higher Educational Institutions, which functions as a targeted admissions mechanism designed to expand access for underrepresented groups - especially girls from remote rural areas.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
According to the 2014 Law on Education, scholarships are available in higher education and are defined as cash payments for full-time learners, including students as well as interns/residents and postgraduate, doctoral (including doctoral students in the speciality), and postdoctoral students. The law establishes five main forms of scholarships: the President of the Republic of Tajikistan scholarship; the international Presidential scholarship Durakhshandagon ; the state academic scholarship for students; the state scholarship for postgraduate/doctoral/postdoctoral levels; and personal (nominal) scholarships. The President’s scholarship is paid under a procedure set by the President to those with tangible achievements in studies and scientific activity, while Durakhshandagon is paid under a government-approved procedure to support gifted persons and meet national workforce needs through training in foreign educational and scientific institutions.
The state academic scholarship is paid from the state budget and is generally merit-based. First-year students on state-funded places receive it from the start of the academic year until the first (semi-annual) session, with amounts and payment rules set by the Government; and a social guarantee applies because orphans/without parental care and students with disabilities receive it regardless of academic results. A separate state scholarship supports state-funded postgraduate/doctoral/postdoctoral learners, personal scholarships may be created by state/local bodies or private founders, foreign citizens/stateless persons studying under Government quotas are paid the state academic scholarship from the state budget.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
Higher-education students typically do not receive a single, nationwide transport allowance as a standard entitlement; instead, transport support is most often provided through city-level fare policies and practical arrangements that vary by location. The clearest example is Dushanbe, where student discounts are built into the city’s public transport payment system.
Accommodation
There is no single centralised, nationwide accommodation support scheme for higher-education students. Support is mainly provided by universities through their own dormitories and hostels.
Textbooks
There is no centralised national subsidy for purchasing textbooks for all higher-education students. Access is typically provided by universities through institutional mechanisms such as libraries and course materials.
