Tuition Fee Policies in a Comparative Perspective: Theoretical and Political Rationales

This chapter looks at tuition fees in an international comparative perspective in the context of this rich mixture of finance, ideology and politics. The charging of tuition fees by higher education institutions is a critical component in any costsharing strategy and one that has become increasingly salient as more and more countries turn to cost-sharing in an effort to meet growing demand for, and offset decreasing government investment in, higher education. Students and families who pay tuition fees will demand accountability and, therefore, universities will have to be more consumer-orientated and efficient. There was a system of incomecontingent loans in place that allowed students to borrow to pay their up-front tuition fees. In many countries with either legal restrictions against, or strong popular resistance to, tuition fees, dual-track tuition policies are being implemented. In Hungary tuition fees have not been charged since 1998, except for those students whose scores are below average on the entrance exams.