According to former Vice Education Minister Zhang Baoqing, it is still difficult to accurately calculate tuition fees.

He explained that there are two ways to estimate the education costs. One is "academic year payment" which means that all expenditures of school in one academic year should be factored in; the other is called "tuition fees including investment" that cover all the investments and costs during the past years as well as in the future.

"In fact, both of the methods are difficult to put into practice," he said, adding that China generally adopts the second method.

Zhang said that there is no standard for scientific allocation of the long-term investments on fundamental facilities to college students, such as land, academic buildings, dormitory compounds and research centers.

After careful studies of a school's average annual costs, the per capita education fees range from 14,000 yuan (US$1,750) to 10,000 yuan (US$1,250). Students are required to pay for nearly a quarter of the total amount, 3,500 yuan (US$437.5), according to Zhang.

(China.org.cn by Wang Ke, September 11, 2007)