University Tuition Fee Policy Tools

Abstract

The two main priorities of a liberal state’s tuition policy are accessibility and equality: accessibility for all qualified students; and equality among publicly funded universities. This article analyses the policy tools that the state can use to directly or indirectly control tuition fees to best address accessibility. The article discusses the regulatory, economic and informational tuition policy tools used around the world and discusses their application in Ontario, Australia and England, based on each jurisdiction’s history and existing funding model for higher education. The article concludes with an analysis of the current trends in tuition fee policy tools.