school fees — tuition
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
The money that students or their families must pay to attend a school, usually for tuition and sometimes for extra activities or materials.
Say it like a native
Textbook The institution levies substantial tuition charges.
Native The school fees are really high.
'School fees' is plain; 'levies tuition charges' is formal.
Pattern: pay (the) school fees; (high/low) school fees; increase/decrease school fees
In use
- Many parents find it difficult to afford the school fees for their children each year.education
- In my country, school fees can be quite expensive, especially for private schools, so not every family can afford to send their children there.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We pay a school fee every month.
✓ We pay the school fees every month.
Usually plural 'fees', with 'the'.
Common collocations
school fees + verb— pay the fees, high fees, afford the fees, annual fees
Don't confuse it
Compare with 'university tuition', which is usually used for higher education, while 'school fees' is for primary or secondary schools.