Research
The historically high cost of tertiary education in South Africa
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP02/2016Publication date: 2016
Author(s):
[protected email address]
(Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
Abstract:[protected email address] (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
The #FeesMustFall-campaign’s main objection was against the high and rising tuition fees of higher education in South Africa. This short note investigates this assertion from a historical perspective: Are university fees more expensive than a decade or a century ago? We document historical tuition fees at one of South Africa’s premier universities – Stellenbosch University. The answer is an unequivocal yes.
JEL Classification:H52
Keywords:South Africa, tertiary education, university, protests, budget, public economics, fiscal spending
Download: PDF (256 KB)Login
(for staff & registered students)
BER Weekly
25 Apr 2025 Budget 3.0 loading; Trump starts to walk back tariff threats and Fed bullying (for now)This week was marked by policy reversals and clarifications both in SA and abroad, as policymakers confronted the consequences of their decisions. In the US, the administration softened its previously hardline stance on tariffs and downplayed earlier critiques of the US Federal Reserve (Fed). At home, SA’s National Treasury retracted its VAT increase...
Read the full issue
BER Weekly
25 Apr 2025 Budget 3.0 loading; Trump starts to walk back tariff threats and Fed bullying (for now)This week was marked by policy reversals and clarifications both in SA and abroad, as policymakers confronted the consequences of their decisions. In the US, the administration softened its previously hardline stance on tariffs and downplayed earlier critiques of the US Federal Reserve (Fed). At home, SA’s National Treasury retracted its VAT increase...
Read the full issue