The “Refugees’ Platform” has received and documented appeals from several Palestinian students from Gaza residing in Egypt for university studies, directed at the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and university presidents, asking for exemption from university fees for the current academic year. This request arises from the exceptional situation they are enduring since the onset of aggression, coupled with the lack of income sources, financial remittances, and communication with their families under bombardment in Gaza.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, there are 6,000 Palestinian students studying in Egypt. Tuition fees for Palestinian students in Egyptian universities range from $3,000 to $7,000 per academic year, depending on the college they are enrolled in and the country from which they obtained their high school certificate, with fees varying from one university to another. These significant amounts are nearly impossible for students to secure under the current circumstances, in addition to covering accommodation and living expenses in Egypt.

In recent weeks, community initiatives in Egypt have started to support Palestinian students from Gaza with living expenses. However, due to the large number of students, these initiatives have not been able to meet the needs and cases received, as documented by the “Refugees’ Platform in Egypt” through initiatives in Cairo and Alexandria. Meanwhile, on November 9, the Palestinian Embassy announced a statement to Palestinian students in Egypt, indicating that the Central Administration for International Students at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research had approved “postponing” the payment of tuition installments for Gaza students for the current academic year.

It is worth noting that Article 271 of the executive regulations of the Universities Organization Law grants the right to exempt certain foreign students from being treated as foreigners and exempts them from some or all tuition and study fees. This provision was previously used by the Minister of Higher Education on April 11, 2002, to reduce tuition fees for Palestinian students, as well as for Sudanese students. Additionally, Prime Minister’s Decree No. 338 of 2016 amended Article 271 of the executive regulations of the Universities Organization Law to allow the Prime Minister, upon the recommendation of the Minister of Higher Education and with the approval of the concerned university council and the Supreme Council of Universities, to reduce tuition fees for international students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs by no less than half the amounts specified in the executive regulations. At the same time, the Universities Organization Law and its executive regulations grant faculty councils the right to establish a “Student Solidarity Fund,” which can cover the tuition fees of deserving students. The Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities also has the authority to exempt foreign students from tuition fees, as it did in the 2021/2022 academic year by exempting Palestinian students from Gaza studying at Egyptian public universities from the second installment of tuition fees for that academic year.

The “Refugees’ Platform” joins Palestinian students in their appeal to the Egyptian government, represented by the Prime Minister and those with exemption authority—the Minister of Higher Education, the Supreme Council of Universities, university councils, and college deans—to issue general or specific exemption decisions for the current academic year’s tuition fees for Palestinian students. The exceptional current circumstances clearly warrant such a decision without the need for additional proof or justification.

The “Refugees’ Platform” also calls on the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo and civil society organizations to direct their support toward covering living expenses for Palestinian students from Gaza residing in Cairo.