CMU trims sails on soaring fees

The Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) is pushing back against suggestions that its fees for students to participate in graduation ceremonies are exorbitant.

After years of study, graduation is usually viewed with excitement for students of tertiary bodies and their families and friends.

However, the CMU is being accused of charging too much for what should be a moment of joy.

In a letter to The Gleaner, a writer identifying herself as CMU student Tawana Scarlett, in expressing her concern, claimed graduation fees at CMU “rose from $20,000 in 2022 to $33,000 in 2023, to $40,000 in 2024, and now in 2025 graduates are being asked to pay $56,000”.

“This is almost a 180 per cent increase in just four years, yet there have been no improvements in the graduation package (and) the ceremony remains the same,” Scarlett said.

She also bemoaned the $6,000 students must pay directly to the contracted photo studio on picture day.

“This is included in the overall cost, but the troubling part is that there is no option for ‘photos only’. Students who cannot afford the full graduation package are left with no choice: either pay the full fee or go without a graduation portrait,” Scarlett said.

“Graduation should be a celebration of achievement, not a financial burden. I urge the university to review this policy and create more affordable, flexible options for students and their families,” she stressed.

However, the CMU, which boasts on its website that it is “the only internationally approved maritime education and training university in the Western Hemisphere”, indicated that it has reviewed the 2025 fees.

FEES UNDER REVIEW

In an emailed response to The Gleaner, CMU President Andrew Spencer acknowledged that students had complained about the high cost of graduation and that the university, in response to those complaints, had begun the process of reviewing the fees.

“Following this review, revised 2025 rates were approved: $30,000 for cadets and $35,000 for students from other programmes, down from the earlier projections. In addition to this, students who wish to use the official photography studio will pay a separate $6,000 directly to the studio. This brings the total cost to $36,000 for cadets and $41,000 for students from other programmes.”

The CMU also acknowledged the absence of a ‘photography only’ package.

“At present, there is no ‘photography only’ package available for 2025 because of the fixed costs involved in staging the graduation ceremony. However, the university is willing to reconsider this option in future years,” Spencer said.

He noted that students have been advised of the revised rates.

The president of the Palisadoes Park-based facility stressed that graduation fees are not for profit.

“It is important to note that these fees cover only a portion of the actual costs associated with staging the graduation ceremony. The university has never recovered the full cost of graduation and, in recent years, has absorbed as much as 40 per cent or more of the total expense. This is because graduation is not a moneymaking venture for CMU, but rather, a meaningful and memorable milestone for our students and their families – many of whom are the first in their households to graduate from university,” Spencer said.

PARTICIPATION NOT MANDATORY

He, however, stressed that students do not have to participate in the ceremony to be conferred with their degrees.

“Graduation, while a proud tradition, is not compulsory for degree conferral. Students who are unable to attend still receive their parchment and are officially graduates of the university. CMU remains committed to ensuring that graduation is an inclusive and celebratory milestone, while balancing financial realities with accessibility.”

In the meantime, graduation fees below the doctoral level at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and below the masters level at the University of Technology (UTech) are significantly less than at the CMU.

The UWI Mona charges $29,000 for undergraduate degrees, with a $5,000 refundable portion; $34,000 for postgraduate degrees, with a $6,000 refundable portion; and $49,000 for doctoral degrees, with a $12,000 refundable portion. Refunds are made once graduation gowns, faculty hoods and mortar boards are returned by the stipulated date and the student is not in arrears.

While fees do not include photographs, graduates can opt for a photograph-only option which costs $7,000.

Fees at UTech range from $27,600 for certificates and diplomas, $39,900 for bachelor’s and postgraduate diplomas, $50,000 for master’s degrees and $66,000 for PhD programmes.

UTech has a photo-only option costing $12,000 for students not attending the ceremony, as well as an option for students who will not be attending the ceremony and are not interested in photography. They will which pay $5,000 for award collection only.

The graduation ceremony at the CMU is set for November 12, while The UWI has five faculty-specific graduation ceremonies scheduled between October 30 and November 1. UTech has two sets of graduation ceremonies scheduled for November 8 and November 9.

karen.madden@gleanerjm.com