Cost-free education as a new variable of mixed financing policies in Chilean higher education and its impact on student trajectory and social mobility

This research aimed to analyze the effects of mixed financing policies from the incorporation of cost-free education in Chilean higher education in the processes of student access and retention (trajectory) and social mobility. Two methods were applied to achieve this aim: monographic research and longitudinal comparative statistical analysis between 2016 and 2021. Different databases were analyzed to evaluate coverage, retention, and social mobility rates. The research used multivariate techniques and the Gini index to measure social mobility. The results showed the transformations that Chilean higher education has experienced in increasing financing, demand, and coverage rates, especially in vulnerable quintiles. The current financing system has positively impacted social mobility and the trajectory of students from the poorest quintiles. This study seeks to contribute to the reflection on the urgency of implementing effective public policies for social progress, safeguarding quality assurance indicators in education as an accurate way of developing a country.