Foreign students in Argentina: how would the tariff for public education affect them?

In Argentina there are 57 state universities established throughout the entire territory. Among them, the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), the National University of La Plata (UNLP), the National University of Rosario (UNR) and the National University of Córdoba (UNC) stand out. These institutions are among the top 100 of the best universities in Latin America, according to the ranking prepared by Quacquarelli Symonds of 2023.

Of the more than two million university students who attend higher education institutions in Argentina, the presence of foreigners represents 4.1%, that is, a total of 88,601 people, according to the latest data published by the National Directorate of Budget and University Information of the then Ministry of Education (now transformed into the Secretariat) from 2021.

Flor del Alba is 25 years old, she was born in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. She arrived in Argentina 17 years ago with her family and started a new life in Pergamino, province of Buenos Aires. In 2016 she moved to Rosario, the third largest city in the country, according to the last census carried out in 2022, and entered UNR to study a degree in Social Communication.

“Argentina is a country that, as established in its Constitution, opens its doors to anyone who wants to live there. This, without a doubt, produces a great opportunity for those who come from abroad to study,” said Flor del Alba in dialogue with France 24, who is also active in the student group Franja Morada and is currently president of the Rosario University Federation (FUR). .

Another is the experience of Bernardo Polo, who was born in Santa Marta, in the Colombian Caribbean. More than five years ago he migrated alone to Argentina and settled in the province of San Luis, in the center of the country. He is currently finishing his studies in the Bachelor of Radio and Television Production at the National University of San Luis (UNSL).

“Accessing a university in Colombia for those who do not have financial resources can be a bit complicated, so having the possibility of studying at a public university in another country and for free is a great privilege,” Bernardo told this medium.

In Argentina, as established by the Higher Education Law, native and foreign students can carry out their undergraduate and graduate studies for free in public institutions, without the need for them to have permanent residence in the country. This has led thousands of young people from different parts of Latin America to choose the South American country as a destination to emigrate and pursue higher education.

According to Argentina's Education portfolio, students come mainly from Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. To a lesser extent they come from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

New educational policies: what does the new Argentine Government seek to change?

With the arrival of Javier Milei, the idea that foreign students who do not have permanent residence in Argentina pay for their studies was revealed. The bill, titled Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines -popularly known as the 'Omnibus Law', due to the number of modifications and provisions it contemplates-, was sent for treatment to the Congress of the Argentine Nation on December 27, 2023.

The original project included 664 provisions that repeal or modify hundreds of laws. After the work in the Plenary of Commissions of the Chamber of Deputies, the original text was modified and remained with 386 articles.

The one that refers to the education tariff is found in article 283 of Chapter III referring to Higher Education, which seeks to replace the second bis article of the Higher Education Law No. 24,521, which establishes that degree studies in state-run higher education institutions are free. At the same time, it prohibits establishing any type of tariff or tariff.

With the modification proposed by the Milei administration, degree studies in state-run higher education institutions will be free only for “every native or optional Argentine citizen and for every foreigner who has permanent residence in the country.” Therefore, those foreign students who do not have permanent residence in the country will be subject to the fees established by the different educational centers.

“For a long time, part of the citizenry and many political leaders interpreted public education as an expense, rather than an investment,” says Flor. And in the face of criticism from some sectors, which defend the proposal of the new Argentine Government, the student clarified that, “anyone who resides in the Argentine Republic must pay taxes -including foreign students-, as well as have a place to live. We in Argentina are generating profits and of course paying the corresponding taxes.”

But, given the autonomy that public universities enjoy, it will be each institution that establishes the fee for foreign students.

In this regard, Bernardo Polo explained that, “unfortunately, higher education in other Latin American countries is not public and is not completely free. What the Milei Government proposes is very hard and very difficult news. From my experience, I came to Argentina to study because, at the time, my parents did not have the resources to pay for me to go to university in Colombia.”

The position of the Milei Government

During the electoral campaign, which brought Milei to the Presidency in 2023, his campaign platform proposed the implementation of the 'voucher' system for primary, secondary and higher education.

Added to this, in the presidential debate for the second round, when consulted by his opponent, Milei assured that universities would not pay fees in the short term, leaving open the possibility that in the future students would have to pay for access to education. higher in Argentina.

According to the Argentine newspaper 'La Nación', the Government maintains that they do not observe contradictions in the measures proposed in the 'Omnibus Law'. The Executive affirms that the proposal to fee university studies for non-resident foreigners would not open the door to a system of broader fees, as was suggested during the 2023 electoral campaign.

In addition, they ensure that university autonomy will be preserved, since the law establishes a framework that would allow public universities to decide whether they wish to charge foreign students, also granting them the freedom to choose not to do so. Sources from the Ministry of Education told 'La Nación' that, “all the measures in the bill are aligned with the logic of this Government, which seeks to grant more freedom to the system.”

However, since the last reforms proposed by Javier Milei, his administration has not commented on the tariff for university education for foreigners.

Public education: A right in danger?

In Argentina, education is recognized as a right and the State is responsible for articulating all measures for its fulfillment.

On November 22, 1949, then-president Juan Domingo Perón signed Presidential Decree No. 29,337, in which he established free university tuition. With this measure, the institutions that were previously subject to fees ceased to be so and the enrollment of public institutions rose exponentially.

On the official website of the Argentine Foreign Ministrypoints out that, “migrants and refugees living in Argentina have the same right as nationals to access education and to be admitted to institutions of all educational levels, whether state or privately managed.”

Bernardo, when asked about his experience when entering an Argentine university, highlighted that, “it seemed like a dream that, when I handed in my documents to enter the university, everything was so simple and very easy. I presented my papers and I simply had to go to classes the following week, that is something that in Colombia, and surely in other Latin American countries, does not happen.”

Flor del Alba, in her role as president of the FUR, stressed that, “one of the basic problems of the 'Omnibus Law' is that there have been no consultation forums for those who have dedicated their youth, their daily lives, to transform the educational system.” Furthermore, she indicates that this project seeks to return to the neoliberal policies of the 1990s, where public university education was defunded.

The 'Omnibus Law' project obtained a majority opinion last Thursday, January 25, and began to be discussed this Wednesday, January 31, in the Chamber of Deputies. The session is expected to last more than 40 hours and become one of the longest in Argentina's recent history.

The Milei Government seeks that the deputies approve the text in its entirety. But given that La Libertad Avanza, Milei's political force, only has 37 of the 129 deputies it needs for the project to be approved, it must negotiate with other political spaces.

In the event that the law is approved in its entirety, the deputies must also vote on the particular project, that is, article by article. The Senate will have the last word.