Rectors of public and private universities in Chile rejected the drastic cuts to education in the 2027 Budget Bill being discussed in the National Congress.
The adjustments will negatively affect the growth of science, technology, knowledge and innovation, all of which will affect the country’s development, said Marisol Durán, president of the Consortium of State Universities.
In the budget bill for next year, baseline resources will fall by 12.41%, while those allocated to promoting scientific research will decrease by a quarter compared with 2026.
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Higher education financing operates through two main channels: student aid and institutional contributions. The first includes free tuition for those in the 60% of the population with the lowest incomes, subsidies and loans such as the State-Guaranteed Credit and the solidarity credit fund. The second corresponds to funds to guarantee the operation of institutions of higher learning, such as baseline (basic) contributions to sustain their infrastructure, research, laboratories and teaching staff.
The rector of the University of Chile, Alejandra Mizala, questioned the reduction in financing for science and baseline funds because they will affect student training, particularly in the state sector.
Discusión del Presupuesto 2027: Rectora @AlejandraMizala defendió el financiamiento de la Universidad de Chile en el @Senado_Chile https://t.co/gOppebzES8 pic.twitter.com/nPgzI6T7dE
— Universidad de Chile (@uchile) October 7, 2026
The top leader of the Pontifical Catholic University, Juan Carlos de la Llera, sent a letter to the legislative subcommittee analyzing the bill on behalf of a group of nine private institutions that receive some public contributions. In the letter, he questioned the reduction of resources, financing for free tuition, restrictions on the solidarity fund and the decrease in spending for science. He also warned that the budget of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation contemplates a cut of 6.4 percentage points for the coming year.
“We are not asking for an increase. We ask only that the State preserve the value of its commitment to the universities,” De la Llera said.
Senator Yasna Provoste, president of the legislative subcommittee, said the positions coincided among the different institutions. “All of them, without distinction, stated that this budget puts Chilean universities at risk,” she said.
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