The 2026 National Budget signals a further policy shift aimed at widening access to higher education, with expanded fee-waiver measures expected to allow more students to enter tertiary programmes without the burden of up-front costs.
Presenting the Budget on Monday, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, said Government has already taken decisive steps to remove financial barriers at the University of Guyana (UG) and will continue along that path in 2026.
“To eliminate the financial burden on those who have taken University of Guyana student loans, we have written off over $3 billion in loans for more than 4,000 persons. We will continue the write-off programme in 2026,” Singh told the National Assembly.
Since the abolition of tuition fees at UG, demand for tertiary education has surged. According to the minister, “the number of applications to pursue higher education at the institution increased significantly to over 26,000 for the academic year 2025/2026, compared with 17,800 in the 2024/2025 period.”
The expanded access is not limited to fee relief alone. Singh said Government is also responding to growing demand in critical fields, noting that, “in recognition of the high demand for access to particular UG programmes, especially engineering and the medical sciences… we will be expanding access to medicine and engineering programmes in Regions Two, Three and Six at a cost of $1 billion in 2026.”
To support these initiatives, the University of Guyana has been allocated $14.5 billion this year.
The measures form part of a broader education policy aimed at increasing participation in higher learning by removing financial hurdles, shifting the focus from who can afford university to who is qualified and willing to pursue it.
