Exploring international aid for tertiary education: recent developments and current trends

The study states that international aid targeting tertiary education (TE) has almost doubled between 2002 and 2019, reaching US$5.3 billion in 2019 Nearly 35%-40% of annual tertiary education aid has targeted Asia and the Pacific. China was the largest recipient with 8% of the total HE aid in 2019 The largest donors are Germany and France Over 70% of aid is given as scholarships to study in the donor country and its inputted costs Most TE aid was allocated to the higher education level, with only 3% allocated to short tertiary education programmes (TVET) In 2019, TE aid provided over 1000 individual disbursements of under half a million US dollars on average, showing signs of fragmentation Half of TE aid flowed via governments while 40% did it through universities, colleges, or research institutes Even though international aid could become an engine for development, playing a central role in advancing the 2030 SDG Agenda, evidence of international aid outcomes shows mixed development results, with intense debates in favour and against its provision Exploring international aid for tertiary education: recent developments and current trends (UNESCO IESALC, 2022) is the recent report on international aid that for the first time provides a unique holistic overview of the current trends and characteristics of TE international aid. This report aims to serve as a baseline for future in-depth studies at a more granular level and as a critical first input to initiate an inclusive global evidence-based and data-driven dialogue. As a result, the international community could improve the understanding of the particularities of TE aid, enhance donors´ accountability and harmonization, and rethink the approach of TE aid going forward to ensure that TE aid funds reach those more in need under a common global agenda.