Pennsylvania State University professor David Post writes about Ecuador’s policy of free higher education in the Fall 2011 issue of International Higher Education quarterly:
Universities are expensive for families in Latin America and in much of the world, not because of the fees they charge. This was especially not a barrier for public universities in Ecuador prior to 2009, because universities used a sliding scale based on income. Instead of direct fees, the biggest expense comes from the years of sacrifice by families when they encourage their children to study and eventually to pass competitive entrance exams, as opposed to working to support the household economy. In recent years, although about 80 percent of each birth cohort entered secondary schools, there was a large dropout rate among the poor. Only about half of each cohort finishes secondary schooling and is thus eligible for “free” university attendance.
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