Gratuidad en la educación pública superior en México

Abstract

The objective was to determine the extent of truly free higher education in Mexico, contrasting the normative intent of Article 3 of the Constitution with the actual practices of public institutions. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods with a descriptive and analytical methodology. The National Transparency Platform was used to request information from 322 institutions, from which a sample of 255 responses was obtained. The most significant findings reveal a profound gap between law and practice, with only 40 institutions offering fully free tuition, while 215 maintain enrollment and re-enrollment fees. It was found that most universities make free tuition contingent on sufficient federal funding, thus neglecting the tripartite responsibility that involves the states and institutional management. The study's limitations lie in the lack of transparency from some institutions that failed to respond. The originality and value of this research lie in the direct comparison of empirical data obtained through transparency with the discourse of university autonomy, revealing how this principle is used as a mechanism for financial self-protection. The findings conclude that free tuition is a right on hold and that its successful realization depends on institutions assuming their regulatory authority to diversify income streams and ceasing to consider free tuition as an exclusive obligation of the federal government, recognizing its vital impact on regional development and social mobility.