Higher Education in Mexico: an International Comparative Study

In this paper we analyze the higher education system (hes) achievements in Mexico through a comparative exercise which considers four developing nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile and South Korea. The results suggest that Mexico has fallen behind in terms of both enrollment rate and its ability to provide a good higher education, this is due to the interaction of several factors, among them are: the demographic trend that has quickly increased the population of 19-24 years, budget constraints as a consequence of low enrollment in the private universities and dependence on the hes in relation to public expenditure, and the failure of educational policy to guarantee quality services in the higher education institutions.