Credit facilities for students in Latin America universities have grown rapidly in recent years. The implications of this development are critically examined with particular attention to the inhibiting influence of loan-based education on the freedom of the student as an individual. (Editor)

The problems of a free or nominal tuition plan implemented in the Middle Eastern countries are discussed. A service-loan program is proposed that would provide needy students with loans or a designated job after graduation; in either instance, a government subsidy would cover all educational expenses.

The Yale Tuition Postponement Plan (TPO), an income-contingent loan scheme, is discussed and analysed with reference to the interest rate crisis and default rates. Conclusion: the high default rate is the most dangerous weakness of contingency loans, and this Plan is the only scheme of its kind likely to exist in the near future. (Editor/JT)

The Hong Kong system of student loans for higher education has worked efficiently since 1969. Many factors in its success are location-specific, but other governments may both learn from and contribute to the Hong Kong experience. (MSE)

A summary of a paper that examines the University Grants Committee in England and its relationship to the government. (PG)

This article describes the operation of the student loan program in Nigeria, including its past problems and current attempts of the Nigerian Students Loans Board to improve efficiency of loan collection. It proposes the establishment of a new Education Bank to finance student loans and other forms of investment in higher education. (Author/DB)

This paper describes the current system of university finance in Botswana and considers alternative options, including the introduction of student loans. A Presidential Commission in 1990 recommended that the present Bursary system be reorganized into a grant/loan system, but this proposal has not yet been implemented. (DB)

This article summarizes the current pattern of finance of higher education in Ghana, gives a brief history of student loans in Ghana, and describes a new program, which is administered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and is expected to result in a higher rate of loan repayment. (Author/DB)

Despite Hong Kong and Macau's cultural, economic, and political similarities, their higher education systems differ. Hong Kong has a well-established system and tradition of government control. Macau's system is smaller, younger, and began as a private enterprise. Trends in government financing, policies, and student loans are bringing the systems…

The arguments for and against student loans in Singapore are presented, with tables detailing trends in financing higher education. The paper concludes that such conditions as full employment, high private returns to higher education, and an efficient financial infrastructure suggest that student loans can be efficiently and equitably utilized in…

Less obvious reasons for the decline of private educational institutions are discussed and suggestions made as to what type is most durable. The author supports the idea of an Educational Opportunity Bank to provide student loans and analyzes it with respect to maintenance of diversity, quality, and student choice. (Editor/JT)

This introductory article describes current research on student loans in developing countries and concludes that student loans in these countries are feasible, can promote wider cost sharing, and can help to generate additional resources for higher education but only if loan programs are well designed and efficiently managed. (Author/DB)

This paper examines the use of student loans, a capitalist form of educational financing, in a socialist country, the People's Republic of China. Details of the program, including eligibility, loan amounts, interest charges, administration, and repayment terms, are summarized. The paper suggests that major problems may be encountered in securing…

An examination of student loan programs to finance college education in developing nations finds that in Asia and Latin America the potential rate of cost recovery is better than for francophone and anglophone Africa, but that in Africa the approach would still permit a shift toward greater private financing of higher education. (MSE)

This article critically reviews implementation of the National Loan Scholarship Scheme in India. It examines the program's strengths, weaknesses, and problems (e.g., a culture with negative attitudes toward such loans). It concludes that student loans are making little contribution to either the efficiency or equity of higher education in India.…