Diversidad y diferenciación en la oferta de programas de doctorado en Chile

Abstract

Chilean higher education has experienced major changes thanks to the new regulatory framework introduced 25 years ago. One of the most noteworthy changes is the strong growth in enrollment. In the past decade, enrollment increased at a real rate of 6 percent per year. Higher education has progressed unevenly in terms of its development, depending on the type of institution involved: vocational institutes, community colleges and universities (both public and private). Little is known about the socioeconomic features of these new students. While they are mainly from non-poor sectors (92%), differences due to gender, levels of poverty, work and study conditions are still evident. Consequently, in order to increase efficiency, new policies to support students and institutional development should take these features into account.