When university registration fees increase, who should students hold responsible?

By Abdullahi Abubakar

W

henever a public university increases its registration fees or other charges, the immediate reaction among many students is to blame the Federal Government. But before directing anger at Abuja, students need to understand how public universities are funded and, more importantly, who has responsibility for determining the charges they pay.

The first thing students should understand is simple: a university registration fee is not the same thing as government funding to the university.

Public universities operate with money from different sources. There is government funding, internally generated revenue, student charges, research grants, TETFund interventions and other sources of income. These funds also have different purposes.

The governing council of a university has a major responsibility for the institution’s finances and administration. The Federal Ministry of Education itself states that university governing councils are responsible for the general control and superintendence of the institution’s policies, finances and property. The legal framework for federal universities also provides for universities to demand and receive fees from students, subject to the applicable statutory direction.

Therefore, when students are told that their university has increased its registration charges, the first question should not automatically be, “Why did the Federal Government increase our fees?”

The more appropriate questions are: Who approved the increase? What exactly has been increased? What services does the new charge cover? What is the university’s approved budget? How much does the university receive from government? And how will the additional revenue be used? These are legitimate questions that students have every right to ask.

So, where does students’ money go? If a student pays registration and other approved university charges, the money becomes part of the university’s revenue and is accounted for according to the institution’s financial procedures and applicable budget.

It does not mean that the student’s particular payment is transferred directly to a lecturer’s bank account.

Universities need money for administration, examinations, laboratories, electricity, water, security, cleaning, ICT services, maintenance, teaching materials and numerous other activities.

At the same time, universities receive public funding for their operations. This means students’ payments are only one part of a much larger financial system.

Who pays the lecturers? Lecturers and other university employees are employed by the university, through its governing structures, and their personnel costs are supported through the university’s funding arrangements.

The National Universities Commission has explained that university councils are responsible for the general control of university finances and serve as the employer of university staff under the applicable legal framework.

This is why it is misleading to think that if students pay higher registration fees today, the Federal Government must immediately increase lecturers’ salaries tomorrow.

The university has its own financial responsibilities, while government provides substantial public funding to the university system.

This is another area where students sometimes misunderstand how public universities are funded.

A major lecture theatre, laboratory, library, road or other infrastructure project may not have been paid for from students’ registration fees.

One of the biggest sources of intervention funding for Nigerian public tertiary institutions is the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

TETFund says its principal source of revenue is the education tax paid by companies in Nigeria, and its mandate includes funding physical infrastructure, instructional materials and equipment, research, publications and academic staff development in public tertiary institutions.

In 2026, for example, TETFund announced a direct intervention allocation of about ₦2.526 billion to each public university under that year’s intervention cycle.

TETFund’s 2026 project programme also includes major infrastructure and equipment interventions, including a medical simulation centre at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

This demonstrates an important point: students’ registration fees are not the only money entering the university system, and they are certainly not the sole source of funding for major capital projects. So should students ask questions about increased fees?

Students have every right to demand transparency. If a university increases charges, students should ask for an explanation of the cost structure. They should know what the new charges cover and how the additional revenue will improve their educational experience.

But accountability should be directed at the right institution.

If the university management or governing council approved an increase, students should ask the university authorities to explain the decision.

If there is a government policy affecting funding, students should examine that policy and hold the relevant government institution accountable.

If TETFund provides money for a project, the institution should also be accountable for how that intervention is utilised.

In other words, do not blame one institution for every bill you receive. Government funding does not mean universities have unlimited money.

There is another important side to this discussion. Government funding of public universities does not mean that the government pays every expense incurred by every university.

TETFund itself has acknowledged that public universities face funding gaps and that government funding alone does not cover all their needs. Its recent work on alternative funding models notes the pressure universities face in meeting costs such as power, water, cleaning, waste disposal and other services.

This is why the debate over university charges should not be reduced to “government should pay everything” versus “students should pay everything.”

The real question is: What is the appropriate share of funding between government, universities and students, and is every naira being properly accounted for? Students deserve both affordable education and accountability

Students should not be discouraged from questioning fee increases. Education is too important for citizens to remain silent when charges increase without adequate explanation. But the criticism must be based on facts.

When a university increases its registration charges, students should first identify who approved the increase, the legal basis for the charge, what the money is intended to fund, and whether the university has transparently accounted for existing revenue and public funding.

That is a much stronger argument than simply saying, “Tinubu increased my school fees.”

A student’s registration bill may come from the university. The lecturer’s salary may be supported through the university’s broader funding structure. A new laboratory may come through TETFund. A government allocation may support institutional operations. And other services may be financed from internally generated revenue. These are different financial streams.

Therefore, before students blame the government for an increase in university charges, they should follow the money, ask the right questions and hold the right institution accountable. That is not defending any government or university management. It is simply understanding how the system works.

Abdullahi Abubakar is a Public Affairs Analyst.