4 ms·

"In some countries, you don't even have the OPTION to take out a loan to go to school" In some countries, like mine (Uruguay) university-level education is fre

"In some countries, you don't even have the OPTION to take out a loan to go to school" In some countries, like mine (Uruguay) university-level education is free :) (though postgraduate studies are paid). I think China is the biggest example of free university education. EDIT: I was wrong, about U$ 2000/year and rising apparently. At least our bazillion psychologists and communication majors (equivalent to the dreaded "English majors" in the U.S.) are not saddled with debt, though a non-specialist psychologist can expect to earn less than a store clerk or McDonald's employee. Continuing edit: Sweden and other countries also have "free" college education: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/the-high-price-of-a-free-college-education-in-sweden/276428/ http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/the... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_education http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_education List of countries with free post-secondary education (from Wikipedia) Algeria Argentina Bhutan Cuba Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Greece Italy India Malta Mauritius Morocco Norway Oman Pakistan Russia Saudi Arabia Scotland Spain Sri Lanka Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Barbados Kenya United Arab Emirates Uruguay I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. One major difference is that here in Uruguay you don't have entrance exams, and it's free for foreigners (we get several Chilean students, where it is not free).

gebe 13y ago
University education in China is not free, they have tuition costs as well.
- GFischer 13y ago
  Sorry, I must have wrong information :( . I'm 100% sure we don't have tuition here in Uruguay, and poorer students get state help. However, five years after you graduate, you have to pay a mandatory special "university graduate tax" called "Fondo de Solidaridad" which helps pay for the poorer students, etc., so I guess it is a form of debt :) . It's about U$ 200 every six months currently.
  - pc86 13y ago
    Is that $200 ever six months in perpetuity or does it stop at some point?
htaunay 13y ago
Brazil is missing from that list. BTW, here the public schools are the best (universities that is, public basic education is horrible). However, the rich still benefit from the system. Here's how it works: 1) Kids with money go to the best prep-schools and get in the public universities through hard entrance exams. 2) Kids that can't get in the public system, but still have money, can pay for medium-level education. 3) Kids with no money due to poor basic education can't get into a public university and can't afford a private alternative.
WayneS 13y ago
The thing about China and possibly several other countries on your list is that while college is cheap (or free), the number of students accepted are very low. So for example only the top 10% (or 1%) of high school students even get the option to go to college. So competition in high school is very fierce to get one of the college slots and not end up with a factory job. (And I imagine money can be used to "open" a spot, but that won't appear in tuition summaries.)
arjie 13y ago
> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Yeah, if you can get into the limited government education programs. Most people pay oodles of money to be educated in private colleges 'affiliated' to universities. Let's take the example of Tamil Nadu (a prosperous Southern state in India). Compare the colleges that comprise Anna University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_University#Campus_and_colleges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_University#Campus_and_coll...) and the colleges _affiliated_ to Anna University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colleges_%26_Institutions_affiliated_to_Anna_University http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colleges_%26_Institutio...).
- 108 13y ago
  >> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Education is NOT free in India, has never been. This is exactly why Wikipedia should not be a citation source. Anyone can edit wrong information and it never gets corrected, perpetuating wrong information. Here are better links to newspaper articles: * http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-unemployment-to-innovation/1132807/0 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-unemployment-to-innov... * http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/who-should-be-entering-our-medical-schools/article4750732.ece http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/who-should-be-ente... * http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/financial-muscle-buys-seats/article4706997.ece http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/financial-muscle-buys-... * An earlier HN thread "Students are the victims and culprits of India’s broken higher education system", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5756142 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5756142 , http://qz.com/86903/students-are-the-victims-and-culprits-of-indias-broken-higher-education-system/ http://qz.com/86903/students-are-the-victims-and-culprits-of... * An Open Letter to India’s Graduating Classes, By MOHIT CHANDRA, http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-to-indias-graduating-classes/ http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-to-... In India, some government education institutes are heavily subsidized (think IIT and the state REC's) but the rest of the private colleges you have to BUY seats - so your parents financial clout decides if you get to study at a good university or NOT. Edit: Ironically, Wikipedia has a page on Capitation fees in India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitation_fee#Capitation_fees_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitation_fee#Capitation_fees...
108 13y ago
> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Education has NEVER been free in India. You have to pay a lot of money at the University level. Almost all education is now privatized. Germany, OTOH, has FREE education upto the PhD level and it does not figure on the Wikipedia page - This is exactly why Wikipedia should not be a citation source. People submit wrong information and it never gets corrected, perpetuating lies.

gebe 13y ago

University education in China is not free, they have tuition costs as well.

GFischer 13y ago
Sorry, I must have wrong information :( . I'm 100% sure we don't have tuition here in Uruguay, and poorer students get state help. However, five years after you graduate, you have to pay a mandatory special "university graduate tax" called "Fondo de Solidaridad" which helps pay for the poorer students, etc., so I guess it is a form of debt :) . It's about U$ 200 every six months currently.
- pc86 13y ago
  Is that $200 ever six months in perpetuity or does it stop at some point?

htaunay 13y ago

Brazil is missing from that list. BTW, here the public schools are the best (universities that is, public basic education is horrible). However, the rich still benefit from the system. Here's how it works: 1) Kids with money go to the best prep-schools and get in the public universities through hard entrance exams. 2) Kids that can't get in the public system, but still have money, can pay for medium-level education. 3) Kids with no money due to poor basic education can't get into a public university and can't afford a private alternative.

WayneS 13y ago

The thing about China and possibly several other countries on your list is that while college is cheap (or free), the number of students accepted are very low. So for example only the top 10% (or 1%) of high school students even get the option to go to college. So competition in high school is very fierce to get one of the college slots and not end up with a factory job. (And I imagine money can be used to "open" a spot, but that won't appear in tuition summaries.)

arjie 13y ago

> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Yeah, if you can get into the limited government education programs. Most people pay oodles of money to be educated in private colleges 'affiliated' to universities. Let's take the example of Tamil Nadu (a prosperous Southern state in India). Compare the colleges that comprise Anna University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_University#Campus_and_colleges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_University#Campus_and_coll...) and the colleges _affiliated_ to Anna University (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colleges_%26_Institutions_affiliated_to_Anna_University http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colleges_%26_Institutio...).

108 13y ago
>> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Education is NOT free in India, has never been. This is exactly why Wikipedia should not be a citation source. Anyone can edit wrong information and it never gets corrected, perpetuating wrong information. Here are better links to newspaper articles: * http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-unemployment-to-innovation/1132807/0 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/from-unemployment-to-innov... * http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/who-should-be-entering-our-medical-schools/article4750732.ece http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/who-should-be-ente... * http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/financial-muscle-buys-seats/article4706997.ece http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/financial-muscle-buys-... * An earlier HN thread "Students are the victims and culprits of India’s broken higher education system", https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5756142 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5756142 , http://qz.com/86903/students-are-the-victims-and-culprits-of-indias-broken-higher-education-system/ http://qz.com/86903/students-are-the-victims-and-culprits-of... * An Open Letter to India’s Graduating Classes, By MOHIT CHANDRA, http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-to-indias-graduating-classes/ http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/an-open-letter-to-... In India, some government education institutes are heavily subsidized (think IIT and the state REC's) but the rest of the private colleges you have to BUY seats - so your parents financial clout decides if you get to study at a good university or NOT. Edit: Ironically, Wikipedia has a page on Capitation fees in India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitation_fee#Capitation_fees_in_India https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitation_fee#Capitation_fees...

108 13y ago

> I was wrong about China, but apparently it is free in India. Education has NEVER been free in India. You have to pay a lot of money at the University level. Almost all education is now privatized. Germany, OTOH, has FREE education upto the PhD level and it does not figure on the Wikipedia page - This is exactly why Wikipedia should not be a citation source. People submit wrong information and it never gets corrected, perpetuating lies.