Videos of protests from the American University of Cairo (AUC) have been circulating on social media, leaving many questioning what’s happening. The protests are due to the sudden fee increase that occurred in recent months, causing many students to be forced to drop out or enroll in other universities.

Now, if you’re confused about why the fee increase happened and still unsure how the university handled the protests, here’s all you need to know.

Why did the AUC fees increase?

It all started on October 27, 2022, when the USD hit 23 EGP, which was a great shock as the USD used to be stable for months and was valued at only 19 EGP. However, it didn’t end here, as the USD kept rising and hitting 30 EGP by 2023.

While many suffered from the increase in the dollar, the students of the AUC suffered the most since they paid their fees in dollars.

The fees increased from 370,000 EGP to about 700,000 EGP.

As a response, students decided to protest around the campus on Wednesday, February 1, as it was the first day of the semester.

They demanded that the university changes its policy of paying in dollars and set a fixed fee in Egyptian Pounds since most students’ families earn their money in Egyptian Pounds.

According to the National, two groups on WhatsApp and Instagram organized by the strikers had a combined 2,000 members.

The Univestiy’s response:

According to Cairo24, the university’s spokesperson Rehab Saad stated that the university administration announced that the students had informed them of the protest and they were allowed since the university encourages freedom of expression.

The university also announced through an email sent to all students stating that if they were on Financial Aid or have applied for Financial Aid for Spring 23 or you applied for Financial Aid in Fall 22 and got rejected, they do not need to apply for the emergency fund and will be automatically considered as an applicant for the emergency fund.

As for all students, they would provide financial aid, such as a 10% reduction in tuition fees for students who cannot pay before February 9, 2023, and the percentage of financial aid that any student can apply to.

Dear Students,

We have recently received many student emails concerning the status of their financial aid and application to the emergency fund. Please note the following important points:

The decision regarding your financial aid award will be reflected on your Student Banner account by January 24 provided that you submitted your application with complete documents on time and you meet applicable eligibility criteria.

If you are on Financial Aid or have applied for Financial Aid for Spring 23 or you applied for Financial Aid in Fall 22 and got rejected, you do not need to apply for the emergency fund. You will be automatically considered as an applicant for the emergency fund.

If you don’t fall under any of the above groups and need financial support, please make sure to apply for the emergency fund with complete documents by Jan. 22 at 11:59 pm. Decisions regarding the emergency fund applications will also be reflected on your Banner account by Jan. 24. The emergency fund is a one-time intervention designed to dilute the effect of the recent devaluation. Amounts will vary depending on financial need.

For all students (excluding international students) who pay full tuition due by February 2, the 10% one-time financial support will be applied to the Spring 2023 payable tuition (i.e. Total semester tuition minus financial aid, emergency fund amount, and any partial scholarship, as applicable). Please note that if you plan to apply for deferred payment, you will not be eligible for this reduction. However, other financial support described above will still apply.

We are currently working on financial aid applications that were missing documents and were recently sent to our office.

Office of Student Financial Affairs and Scholarships

The last thing that was reported was on February 5 by the Caravan AUC, the official newspaper of the university, via their social media, where the university held a press conference discussing the temporary solutions with the students and staff on dealing with the “impact of the currency devaluation.”

In the conference, the president of AUC, Ahmed S. Dallal, said:

The situation is not stable yet we don’t know exactly when it’s going to reach a stable point. We recognize everyone will be affected.

We recognize that we can not eliminate the effect of devaluation. We can not. And it’s not something that we control, it’s not in our hands. But what we can do is to think as fairly as possible.

He added:

To be honest, we still don’t have a long-term solution. I’m praying for that situation to stabilize.

What’s next for the students?

We reached out to Abdelrahman Ashraf, who was seen leading the protest last week, to ask him the next step of their strike, and he told us:

Either another strike or we will proceed to meet till we find solutions.

Finally, we asked Adbelrahman if he wanted to say anything to those negative commenters, his response was,

I would like to ask people not to sympathize with us, but if they aren’t going to support they don’t really need to attack us.”

It’s worth noting that this is not the first time the students of The AUC protested against the spike in their tuition Fees.

In November 2016, hundreds of students protested on campus to speak up against the sharp increase in their tuition fees.

Additionally, Ahmed El-Ghandour mentioned in his book, ‘El-Daheh,’ how the AUC students struggled after the tuition fees were increased in 2011, which led to a protest on campus. Still, it ended in the students gaining the right to attend The budget committee.

Outside the campus and public opinion:

Outside the campus, these protests have conducted public opinion. Some people say that those protests are first-world problems, there are more crucial things happening around and they aren’t even sympathetic.

Others see that situation as an indicator of how bad the current conditions in Egypt are. Others advise those students to study abroad, where they will pay less and enjoy more quality education, as they say.

As a reaction, many refused such opinions. Instead, they declared that students don’t need their sympathy and that their problems are also crucial, just as any other problem showed up due to the currency float.

Finally, we would like to show our support to the students as the services provided by the university are the same as before and after the global and national crises.

Also, educational services are crucial, and there is no room to manipulate them.

So, you tell us what you think?