Fears of mass withdrawal from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka have intensified as students and parents react angrily to a proposed steep increase in fees at the federal institution.

The university’s governing council initially moved to raise sundry charges by 100 per cent, a decision that triggered days of online outrage, campus protests and frantic consultations between the management and the Students Union Government.

Under the proposal, new students would see their acceptance fee jump from about N30,000 to N50,000, while overall charges for both freshers and returning students would effectively double. Many undergraduates, already battling soaring food, transport and accommodation costs, say the plan threatens their education.

“Most of us came to UNN because it was affordable,” said Nwabunwanne Chigozie, a final-year Mass Communication student. “If education is now meant for the rich, I will have to drop out. This hike is totally unacceptable.”

Others echoed his fears, warning that the increase could push struggling families over the edge. Political Science finalist Cosmos Kenechukwu argued that the university should prioritise alternative funding models instead of loading the burden on students who still have to pay for textbooks, off-campus housing and daily feeding.

Self-sponsored students appear particularly vulnerable. “I had already budgeted N150,000 for school fees, hostel and other payments,” one student said. “With this increment I don’t even know if I can pay just the school fees alone.”

Parents and guardians are equally alarmed. An artisan, Ikechukwu Aloysius, who has three children in public universities, said he might be forced to withdraw them if the hike stands. Another parent, Evelyn Anyim, described the new acceptance fee as “a burden to families who already budgeted a different amount earlier.”

Even lecturers, who are expected to implement the policy in classrooms, say they are not spared. A female academic from the Arts faculty noted that with professors earning under N500,000 monthly, paying the new charges for several children would be “practically impossible.”

Following weeks of negotiations, the university management and SUG reached a compromise: instead of the 100 per cent rise earlier proposed, sundry charges will now go up by 60 per cent, representing a 40 per cent reduction from the initial plan. The agreement allows students to pay in two instalments and freezes accommodation fees for the coming session.

Yet, despite the concession, the dominant mood on campus remains one of resentment and anxiety. From lecture halls to family homes, the message is the same: any significant fee hike at a public university in today’s harsh economy risks turning higher education into a privilege, not a right.