BEIJING, June 6 Reuters Chinese universities are drastically increasing tuition fees this year, with some making their first rises in two decades, hurt by a reduced national budget for tertiary education and tight local government finances.

The higher fees come amid a financial crunch among local governments after three years of disruptive COVID19 policies, a property crisis and a sluggish economy. Chinese universities, almost all public, rely heavily on state funding.

Shanghaibased East China University of Science and Technology raised tuition fees by 54 to 7,700 yuan 1,082 annually for some freshmen majoring in science, engineering and physical education, and by 30 in the liberal arts, according to statements issued on Sunday.

Tuition for science and engineering rose by 40 at Shanghai Dianji University, while students majoring in management, economics and literature will have to pay 30 more compared with a year earlier, according to a notice on Monday.

In April, the financial hub of Shanghai decided after a public hearing to raise tuition unchanged for over 20 years for the academic year starting this autumn.

China39;s densely populated southwestern Sichuan and northeastern Jilin provinces also raised tuition for different majors, with the maximum increase as much as 41 in Sichuan, according to local government statements.

The education ministry39;s expected budget expenditure for tertiary education in 2023 fell 3.7 to 102.6 billion yuan from the previous year,…