WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Do national policies, laws, or constitutions make education tuition-free?

Guaranteeing tuition-free education can eliminate a financial barrier to schooling that disproportionally impact girls, poor children, children with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.

Tuition refers to fees charged for access to public education. It does not include fees that may be levied on other specific educational materials, such as textbooks or uniforms. In countries with tuition-free guarantees to public education, tuition may be charged in private schools operating in parallel.

Not tuition-free means that there is no explicit guarantee to tuition-free education in the country’s constitution, legislation, or non-legislative policy commitments. The country may have committed to taking steps to gradually implement tuition-free education over time.

Countries

Comoros - Not tuition-free

Singapore - Not tuition-free

Solomon Islands - Not tuition-free

South Africa - Not tuition-free

Bangladesh - Primary only

Burundi - Primary only

Cameroon - Primary only

Equatorial Guinea - Primary only

Haiti - Primary only

Jamaica - Primary only

Niger - Primary only

Eswatini - Primary only

Tonga - Primary only

Tuvalu - Primary only

Uganda - Primary only

Vanuatu - Primary only

Bhutan - Through start of secondary

Botswana - Through start of secondary

Burkina Faso - Through start of secondary

China - Through start of secondary

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Through start of secondary

Croatia - Through start of secondary

Cyprus - Through start of secondary

Eritrea - Through start of secondary

Gabon - Through start of secondary

India - Through start of secondary

Indonesia - Through start of secondary

Italy - Through start of secondary

Kiribati - Through start of secondary

Liechtenstein - Through start of secondary

Malawi - Through start of secondary

Micronesia, Federated States of - Through start of secondary

Morocco - Through start of secondary

Nigeria - Through start of secondary

Rwanda - Through start of secondary

Samoa - Through start of secondary

San Marino - Through start of secondary

Sao Tome and Principe - Through start of secondary

Senegal - Through start of secondary

Sierra Leone - Through start of secondary

St. Lucia - Through start of secondary

Sudan - Through start of secondary

Tanzania - Through start of secondary

Timor-Leste - Through start of secondary

United Kingdom - Through start of secondary

Zimbabwe - Through start of secondary

Afghanistan - Through completion of secondary

Albania - Through completion of secondary

Algeria - Through completion of secondary

Andorra - Through completion of secondary

Antigua and Barbuda - Through completion of secondary

Argentina - Through completion of secondary

Armenia - Through completion of secondary

Australia - Through completion of secondary

Austria - Through completion of secondary

Azerbaijan - Through completion of secondary

Bahamas - Through completion of secondary

Bahrain - Through completion of secondary

Barbados - Through completion of secondary

Belarus - Through completion of secondary

Belgium - Through completion of secondary

Belize - Through completion of secondary

Bolivia - Through completion of secondary

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Through completion of secondary

Brazil - Through completion of secondary

Brunei - Through completion of secondary

Bulgaria - Through completion of secondary

Cambodia - Through completion of secondary

Canada - Through completion of secondary

Central African Republic - Through completion of secondary

Chad - Through completion of secondary

Chile - Through completion of secondary

Colombia - Through completion of secondary

Republic of the Congo - Through completion of secondary

Costa Rica - Through completion of secondary

Cote d'Ivoire - Through completion of secondary

Cuba - Through completion of secondary

Czech Republic - Through completion of secondary

Denmark - Through completion of secondary

Djibouti - Through completion of secondary

Dominica - Through completion of secondary

Dominican Republic - Through completion of secondary

Ecuador - Through completion of secondary

Egypt - Through completion of secondary

El Salvador - Through completion of secondary

Estonia - Through completion of secondary

Ethiopia - Through completion of secondary

Fiji - Through completion of secondary

Finland - Through completion of secondary

France - Through completion of secondary

Georgia - Through completion of secondary

Germany - Through completion of secondary

Ghana - Through completion of secondary

Greece - Through completion of secondary

Greenland - Through completion of secondary

Grenada - Through completion of secondary

Guatemala - Through completion of secondary

Guinea - Through completion of secondary

Guyana - Through completion of secondary

Honduras - Through completion of secondary

Hungary - Through completion of secondary

Iceland - Through completion of secondary

Iran - Through completion of secondary

Iraq - Through completion of secondary

Ireland - Through completion of secondary

Israel - Through completion of secondary

Japan - Through completion of secondary

Jordan - Through completion of secondary

Kazakhstan - Through completion of secondary

Kenya - Through completion of secondary

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Through completion of secondary

Republic of Korea - Through completion of secondary

Kuwait - Through completion of secondary

Kyrgyzstan - Through completion of secondary

Laos - Through completion of secondary

Latvia - Through completion of secondary

Lebanon - Through completion of secondary

Lithuania - Through completion of secondary

Luxembourg - Through completion of secondary

North Macedonia - Through completion of secondary

Madagascar - Through completion of secondary

Malaysia - Through completion of secondary

Maldives - Through completion of secondary

Mali - Through completion of secondary

Malta - Through completion of secondary

Marshall Islands - Through completion of secondary

Mauritania - Through completion of secondary

Mauritius - Through completion of secondary

Mexico - Through completion of secondary

Moldova - Through completion of secondary

Monaco - Through completion of secondary

Mongolia - Through completion of secondary

Montenegro - Through completion of secondary

Namibia - Through completion of secondary

Nauru - Through completion of secondary

Nepal - Through completion of secondary

The Netherlands - Through completion of secondary

New Zealand - Through completion of secondary

Nicaragua - Through completion of secondary

Norway - Through completion of secondary

Oman - Through completion of secondary

Pakistan - Through completion of secondary

Palau - Through completion of secondary

Panama - Through completion of secondary

Papua New Guinea - Through completion of secondary

Paraguay - Through completion of secondary

Peru - Through completion of secondary

The Philippines - Through completion of secondary

Poland - Through completion of secondary

Portugal - Through completion of secondary

Qatar - Through completion of secondary

Romania - Through completion of secondary

Russian Federation - Through completion of secondary

Saudi Arabia - Through completion of secondary

Serbia - Through completion of secondary

Seychelles - Through completion of secondary

Slovakia - Through completion of secondary

Slovenia - Through completion of secondary

Somalia - Through completion of secondary

South Sudan - Through completion of secondary

Spain - Through completion of secondary

Sri Lanka - Through completion of secondary

St. Kitts and Nevis - Through completion of secondary

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Through completion of secondary

Sweden - Through completion of secondary

Syria - Through completion of secondary

Tajikistan - Through completion of secondary

Thailand - Through completion of secondary

Togo - Through completion of secondary

Trinidad and Tobago - Through completion of secondary

Tunisia - Through completion of secondary

Türkiye - Through completion of secondary

Turkmenistan - Through completion of secondary

Ukraine - Through completion of secondary

United Arab Emirates - Through completion of secondary

United States of America - Through completion of secondary

Uruguay - Through completion of secondary

Uzbekistan - Through completion of secondary

Venezuela - Through completion of secondary

Yemen - Through completion of secondary

Zambia - Through completion of secondary