Editing Scholarship (section)

=== Cost-sharing of higher education ===
At the start of the 21st century, higher education faced unprecedented demand from individuals seeking upward economic mobility and from governments pursuing national development. However, rising enrollment and limited public budgets created financial pressures across education systems. Governments also faced competing social priorities, contributing to reduced state funding and a growing reliance on non-governmental revenue sources for educational access.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Johnstone |first=Donald Bruce |date=2004 |title=The economics and politics of cost sharing in higher education: comparative perspectives |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0272775703001171 |journal=Economics of Education Review |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=403–410 |doi=10.1016/j.econedurev.2003.09.004}}</ref>

In this context, some policymakers argue that meeting the increasing demands of secondary and post-secondary education requires greater cost-sharing by students and their families.<ref name=":2" /> Educator [[D. Bruce Johnstone|Donald Bruce Johnstone]] describes [[cost sharing]] as the distribution of educational expenses among governments, parents, students, and donors.<ref name=":4" /> This shift often involved the introduction of user fees, particularly in higher education where individual returns are highest, alongside increased reliance on donor-supported financing.<ref name=":2" /> As tuition fees rose and public subsidies declined education systems transitioned from state-dominated financing to multi-source funding, relying on donations, fundraising, scholarships, and contributions from private and civil society actors.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Other policy makers and experts, however, caution that these measures may restrict access for poorer households and deepen existing inequalities.<ref name=":2" />

Scholarships maintain an essential role in this new policy environment. As public subsidies decline, scholarship programs supported by institutions, international donors, and philanthropic groups have become central to preserving access to education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. While cost sharing has allowed some higher education institutions to expand enrollment, it has also reinforced the function of scholarships as essential tools for addressing access gaps left by declining public investment and offsetting the rising costs borne by students and their families.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />