CLAIM: “UL charging $7 per credit.”
VERDICT: MISLEADING
FULL TEXT: “Breaking news! The University of Liberia has been rescued and is charging 7 dollars per credit hour! Goodbye to the tuition-free policy.”
On January 31, social media, particularly Facebook, was swamped with rumors that authorities at the State-Run University of Liberia-UL had increased tuition to US$7.00 per credit.
Oga Titus and Byron Brown are two of many who claim that the University of Liberia has raised tuition.
VERIFICATION: In a release issued by the university on January 31, 2024, signed by Cllr. Norris L. Tweah, Vice President for UL Relations, it stated that there has not been any tuition increment at the university.
“The attention of the Administration of the University of Liberia (UL) has been drawn to information circulating on social media by some unauthorized individuals seeking to mislead our students and the public by announcing a purported increase of tuition to US$7.00 per credit hour,” the release stated.
The release added, “This information is false as there is no decision reached by the UL Administration to charge our students US$7.00 per credit hour for academic programs at the University. “
The UL Administration encourages students, staff, and the public to remain calm and only subscribe to official information regarding academic activities, which is always communicated through its various platforms and on public and private media outlets.
Additionally, the UL Administration called on students, staff, and the public to remain calm as the administration works to release a revised calendar for the resumption of classes for the pending second semester of the academic year 2022-2023.
“We urge everyone seeking official information to utilize the university’s website, https://ul.edu.lr/, or visit our Facebook page, which is named “University of Liberia-UL” and can be accessed via https://www.facebook.com/theuniversityofliberia,” the release added.
Brown later clarified that the claim about the university was untrue. “To all my comrades at the University of Liberia, there’s absolutely no plan by your govt to increase 7 dollars Per Credit Hour at UL. It is a diabolical lie.”
Conclusion: After reading the UL press release, it is fair to conclude that the claim that the University of Liberia is raising tuition to $7.00 is misleading.
