However, about 82 percent of survey respondents said students are overcharged and only 0.8 percent thought tuition levels are low.

According to the government regulation on college tuition, tuition should be no more than 25 percent of colleges' average costs per student.

Some provinces have not followed the rules. For instance, in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, average annual tuition is 5,077 yuan ($824), or 35 percent of the average cost to educate a college student in the region.

Prof Zhang Shaoxiong with Central South University said that higher tuition will stop needy students from going to college.

Wang Tian, a sophomore in Guangxi, was quoted by the China Youth Daily as saying that tuition at his college increased by 1,000 yuan from 2013 to 2014.

Wang, who is from a needy family, said he receives government assistance of 2,500 yuan annually while tuition is about 4,000 yuan per year.

"If tuition continues to rise, I don't know how I will manage," he said.

On the other hand, colleges are complaining about the increase of faculty salaries, currency inflation and the cost of facilities.