Financing for equity in higher education

Introduction

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)

No information was found.

Tuition-free status

National laws and policies do not require public higher education to be tuition-free, with students being charged tuition fees.

Governance

The Ministry of Higher Education, Sciences & Technology (MoHEST) is responsible for financing public higher education in South Sudan. Higher education is managed and financed by the central government, while TVET is managed by both the national and state governments.

The National Council of Higher Education is responsible for developing policies, approving the establishment and accreditation of institutions, determining admissions and enrolment standards, regulating qualifications, and determining financial support to institutions.

According to the 2012 Higher Education Act, financial allocation to the higher education sector should constitute at least 5% of the total national annual budget. South Sudan allocates a much higher proportion of its total education expenditure to higher education and research in comparison to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa (62% in 2023).

1. Education resources to subnational governments

Public universities are financed directly from the central government.

2. Education resources to institutions

Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions

The 2012 Higher Education Act provides for the establishment of both public and private universities, with private universities ‘maintained out of funds other than public funds’.

Allocation and equity

Public higher education institutions are funded by annual per capita government grants and tuition fees paid by students.

3. Education resources to students

Admission for vulnerable groups

There are no national quotas or specific admissions criteria for vulnerable groups.

Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups

The Student Support Fund Bill, approved in 2023 but not yet implemented as of 2025, aims to ease the financial and academic burdens facing thousands of students by providing tuition assistance, accommodation support, and protective measures to prevent vulnerable learners from poor families from dropping out of higher education institutions.

There are also several foreign, non-state-funded scholarship opportunities for Sudanese students to study abroad.

The National Council of Higher Education is responsible for formulating policies and regulations to govern the distribution of scholarships.