How big is the admission coaching market in Bangladesh?
While coaching centres market themselves as essential, many argue they are unnecessary since exams are based on the college curriculum. Yet the fear of falling behind keeps students — and their families’ wallets — trapped in the cycle
After finishing school and college, Anwar moved to Dhaka from Noakhali to prepare for university admissions. He joined the Kalabagan branch of Mentors Coaching Centre, aiming to get into the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) at Dhaka University.
Bite-Sized: Bangladesh's Tk14 billion coaching industry: Necessity or marketing myth?
Though he could not enrol there, he is currently studying Economics at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
"The coaching admission fee cost me Tk18,200," he mentioned.
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However, Anwar believes that coaching is not really a must for admission tests.
"When all your friends join, preparing alone at home feels risky. Since the admission process is a new experience to us, we feel nervous. That's why most of us look for guidance from those who have already been through it," he said.
Anwar's journey reflects the experiences of countless students across the country. Every year in Bangladesh, a new wave of anticipation sweeps across the country after HSC results are published. For over a million students, it marks not just the end of one chapter but the start of a tougher new race.
Students from all over Bangladesh come to the capital for university, medical and engineering admission coaching. There are coaching centres outside Dhaka, but the ones in the capital are perceived to be better.
How big is the market?
In Bangladesh, coaching centres are no longer a mere option; they have become a must for students aiming for top universities. And this high demand has turned admission coaching into a booming industry.
The sheer size of the target group explains why. This year, 1,251,111 students sat for the HSC and equivalent exams across the country. Last year, the number was 1,450,790. Though not all of these students compete for the subsequent admission tests, a large share of this cohort does.
Dhaka's Farmgate area has become a hotspot for university coaching centres. In the short stretch of less than a kilometre from the University of Asia Pacific on Green Road to the Farmgate Metro Station on Indira Road, there are at least 18 centres offering coaching for university, medical, and engineering admissions. Signboards display names like Udvash, UCC, Medico, Retina, Mentors, and more. Posters and flyers promise students guaranteed seats in top universities or medical colleges.
How much does this journey cost? The answer varies, but it is rarely cheap.
A doctor who has been tutoring for a long time at Medico coaching centre said, "This coaching centre has 19 branches across the country — five in Dhaka and 14 outside Dhaka. Every year, this centre can enrol a total of 12,000–13,000 students in all branches across the country. The admission fee for a full course is usually between Tk18,000 and Tk20,000."
General admission courses for public universities — Dhaka University, BUET, or the GST cluster — usually charge between Tk15,000 and Tk20,000 for a full season. Coaching for specialised business programmes, such as IBA or BUP, can be even more expensive. Fees for medical and dental admission preparation are even higher, ranging from Tk18,000 to Tk25,000 depending on the institute and the city.
When multiplied by the sheer number of students, the figures swell into staggering sums. Even if we assume that only half of the HSC graduates enroll in some form of admission coaching, that still means that on average, more than 700,000 students pay substantial fees in a single year. At an average cost of around Tk20,000 per student, the market easily surpasses Tk14 billion annually.
The graph of these expenses is also upward trending.
According to Udvash officials, this year, the cost for the engineering programme is Tk24,000, and for the university A unit, it is Tk22,000. A tutor at Udvash said that eight years ago, in 2017, the fee for the engineering programme was Tk15,000.
The admission coaching craze is not just a Dhaka phenomenon either; in Rajshahi, Chattogram, Sylhet, and other divisional cities, coaching centers have mushroomed to meet regional demand.
While fees outside Dhaka are generally lower, the sheer volume of students ensures that these hubs contribute significantly to the overall market. In smaller towns, local coaching centres also run at full capacity, often taught by former university students who themselves once went through the same system.
Mandatory or optional?
Many believe that there is no real need for separate coaching for admission exams. It is just a marketing gimmick. Because the university admission exam questions are based entirely on the higher secondary curriculum.
There are real examples as well.
Sushobhon Bachhar from Khulna, for instance, secured the first place in the 2024–25 medical admission exam by preparing entirely at home.
"Coaching is a form of supplementary education. It is necessary for a certain group of students. If it is completely shut down, they might face some challenges. But at the same time, it should by no means be seen as mandatory. In other words, a student can succeed without coaching; it is not impossible," said Md Minhaz Uddin, assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Jagannath University.
However, as Anwar said in the beginning, students have a fear of missing out and being left behind. As a result, the cycle continues. HSC results come out, students rush to coaching centres, and the market grows.
Then again, coaching centres also frequently exaggerate or misrepresent their students' success stories. They use these tactics to attract more students and take credit for the achievements of those who do well in exams. As a result, many students and parents get false ideas and fall for these misleading promotions.
Minhaz Uddin believes that there is a tendency in the market to portray it as mandatory.
"Mainly, coaching centres themselves drive this narrative. Their flashy advertisements give the impression that everyone succeeds only through coaching, and without it, one will fall behind. They do this to serve their business interests," he said.
Furthermore, there are allegations that many coaching centres across the country are involved in question leaks in board or admission exams. A CID (Criminal Investigation Department) investigation found proof of the crime as well.
For this reason, coaching centres are routinely closed during board exam periods. Even this year, to prevent question leaks and rumours during the HSC and equivalent exams, the Ministry of Education ordered the coaching centres to remain closed from 26 June until 15 August.
"If any crime occurs in coaching centres, it should certainly fall under the law, and the government must take appropriate action. However, excluding that, completely shutting down coaching is not reasonable in our social reality. At the end of the day, the market is ultimately determined by the demand and supply of both sides," Minhaz Uddin concluded.
