Cost sharing: a comparative perspective from Central Europe (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia)

This article focuses on the financial position of students in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. It explores both policies and developments in the area of tuition fees and student financial support and particularly addresses the question of how these four countries deal with the increasing demand for higher education in a situation of limited public resources. In many countries around the world, students have been required to contribute more towards the costs of higher education. Often this is referred to as 'cost sharing', which is defined as «the predominant development towards a gradual transfer of the financial costs of higher education from governments towards the students and their families». Because public funds in the four countries are limited, it is likely more emphasis will be placed on cost sharing in order to meet the growing demand for higher education.