JEDDAH — The fate of hundreds of freshmen hangs in the balance as they have been asked by many private colleges and universities to pay tuition fees since there is uncertainty about domestic scholarships this academic year. Students at a girl's university have been reportedly told to pay at least SR5,000 to reserve seats and wait for a couple of days for scholarship announcement. Some other colleges have notified all freshmen to either pay the fees or look for alternatives. Many high school graduates told Saudi Gazette that they are left with no choice but to leave these colleges as their fees are very high. However, Ministry of Education spokesman Mubarak Al-Osaimi said in a statement to Saudi Gazette that private colleges and universities should not ask students to pay fees in advance. The statement said the ministry issued this directive following enquiries from parents whose children are studying on scholarship programs in local private universities and colleges. “The ministry will pay the fees as soon as the rules and regulations are finalized,” said the statement. Students who are on domestic scholarship programs can still get scholarship as long as they score the required GPA. However, the ministry statement did not say anything about the fresh high school graduates who might not enjoy domestic scholarship this year. In an email statement an official from a private college said they have been told by the Ministry of Education not to take fees from students and wait for the scholarship. A male high school graduate said that he applied at a private university for industrial engineering major. But now he has moved to King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah and is now going to start a foundation year. He will then be directed to a specialization based on his GPA and not on his choice. “This is not what I opted for. But I will not risk it since my family cannot afford the fees and I may end up sitting at home if there is no scholarship.”
