Abstract

ALVAREZ-VALDES, Carolina. Fee-free students at prestigious universities: academic adjustments so that they can remain in education. Rev.latinoam.cienc.soc.niñez juv [online]. 2023, vol.21, n.3, pp.328-346.  Epub Dec 19, 2023. ISSN 1692-715X.  https://doi.org/10.11600/rlcsnj.21.3.5894.

Higher education in Chile has experienced massification during the last 30 years. However, a high level of segmentation in the system continues. In 2016, the fee-free policy began to be implemented and was designed for lower-income students. This research study sought to understand the academic experiences of fee-free students at prestigious and selective universities, which are considered spaces that reproduce power dynamics in favor of the country’s upper classes. Biographical interviews were conducted with 13 fee-free students who are currently enrolled in these universities and a temporal thematic analysis was carried out. The results of the study show that: obtaining fee-free tuition facilitates access to education; both male and female fee-free students experience strong feelings of academic inadequacy; and these students take an active role in transforming their situations by adopting a strong work ethic that helps them continue with their studies. These experiences of young people from lower income backgrounds show the persistence of inequalities in the higher education sector.

Keywords : Academic performance; educational strategies; higher education; student sociology.

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