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
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Upcoming Seminars
Monday 28 July 202512:00-13:00
Dr Neil Rankin: Ceo Of Predictive Insights & Stellenbosch University
Topic: "TBC"
12:00-13:00
Prof Willem Boshoff: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over the past 30 years"
12:00-13:00
Professor Johan Fourie: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Economic History: TBC"
BER Weekly
25 Jul 2025 Budget hurdle cleared, but US tariff implementation remains a riskIt was another big week on the local political front, but with some constructive momentum. On the trade front, ahead of next week’s 1 August deadline, Trump announced another “massive” trade deal with Japan. The upcoming week is busy, with a slew of global and domestic data releases and several monetary policy decisions, including the SARB....
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