Albania plans higher student stipends, low-interest housing loans

Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama addressed the public today to highlight key economic developments, bringing positive news specifically tailored to higher education.

Citing fiscal growth, the head of government announced a 15,000 ALL boost in student stipends for families under economic hardship, while also expanding scholarship eligibility to Master’s program students for the first time, CE Report quotes ATA.

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced new support measures for students, noting that financial assistance will reach half the minimum wage (25,000 ALL) and extend to master’s-level students.

“In the new housing bill currently before Parliament, we have included additional relief for students and young couples, ranging from government-subsidized rents to zero- or low-interest loans capped at 3%,” Rama said.

He added that upcoming legislation will also introduce a youth employment initiative, requiring businesses to hire students at half the minimum wage based on an established formula.

The Prime Minister also pushed back against pressure to participate in protests and boycott classes.

“I want to say right from the start that the climate of terror created in school environments or on your phones, forced by a violent minority upon the majority to take to the streets or to skip class, is unacceptable,” Rama stated.

He also deemed unacceptable the class boycott by a portion of the university faculty, emphasizing that a clear distinction must be made between the right to protest and forcing it upon students who wish to continue their education.

Prime Minister Rama turned his criticism toward university faculty participating in class boycotts, accusing politically motivated professors of using students as “cannon fodder.”

“We will address this issue further after consulting with the Rectors’ Forum,” Rama said. “There is a clear line between the right to protest or strike legally and arbitrarily imposing those views on students who simply want to attend class.”

Highlighting government investments under the “Pact for the University,” Rama noted that 60% of university students—six out of ten—now receive direct financial aid from the state. He specified that 4,118 students receive merit-based scholarships, 4,648 receive need-based financial support, and 434 top-performing students are awarded monthly stipends equivalent to the minimum wage.

He also said that 10,152 students are fully exempt from university tuition fees, while for another 27,050 students, the government covers 50% of their tuition fees.

Rama emphasized that all of this demonstrates that three-quarters of public university funding is covered by the government.

“For example, in the most affected universities, where a group of students have abandoned classes for weeks on end and are blocking Durrës Street—leaving others there out of work and preventing many citizens from moving freely—tuition fees represent less than 20% of the cost per student,” Rama said.

Meanwhile, Rama added, “this government, again thanks to the Pact for the University, covers more than 80% of the cost of study for medical students, without taking into account those students who benefit from fee exemptions or 50% reductions.”

Rama reminded the public that “the government injects money from contributions coming precisely from the businesses on Durrës Street—which remain closed due to the terror of stone-throwing—from others moving goods and services along the blocked Durrës Street, as well as from all citizens and businesses in Tirana and across Albania, who in this wave of violence and anarchy have lost their peace and produced less income.”

“In Tirana, the dormitory fees paid by students cover less than a third of annual costs—without even factoring in ongoing state investments to upgrade quality and expand capacity. We already have €100 million in approved funding ready for dormitories.

The Pact for the University is not an Instagram post or a TikTok video, nor is it a forgotten election platform from parties making wild promises they know they can never keep.”

Prime Minister Edi Rama is calling on students to return to the negotiating table. Reminding the public that today’s aid packages stem from the government’s 2018 Pact for the University, Rama declared that his administration is ready to update the agreement. He extended a direct invitation to student representatives, stating he is prepared to meet for open talks at any time and location of their choosing.

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