Cost sharing in higher education: tuition, financial assistance, and accessibility in comparative perspective

This paper explores five questions: What are the theoretical and practical rationales for shifting some portion of the higher educational cost burden from governments and taxpayers to students and families? What are the theoretical, political, ideological, practical or strategic bases for resistance to this shift? What is the impact of increasing cost burdens on student enrollment behavior? What is the higher education cost burden currently being borne by the student and family in various countries, and what is the recent increase in these costs being borne by students and families, as opposed to governments or taxpayers? What policy tools-are being employed to increase accessibility, and what is known of their efficacy?