Studying in Argentina - An account

As some of you may know, I have just completed a 4-year degree at an Argentinian private university. it works quite differently compared to university in Italy, where I attended a public university 20 years ago.

1st difference: public university in Argentina is free. Public university in Italy is paid, and you pay proportionally to your household income. Private university is paid regardless of your income bracket, both in Argentina and in Italy. At private university in Argentina, the cost depends on the program (how much in demand it is, does it require laboratories and specialized equipments etc).

2nd difference: high school in Argentina is 4 years (vs. 5 in Italy), but if you haven't studied in a public Argentinian high school, when you enroll into a public university you have to attend the CBC (ciclo básico común), a sort of foundation year. This means that even if in Argentina you graduate from high school one year earlier than in Italy, you then "lose" one year to attend the CBC. The subject of the CBC depends on the Program you are going to study.

If you go to a private university, there is no CBC but some subjects may be "embedded" in the regular program, such as Investigational Research.

3rd difference: there is a wide offer of private universities, much more than in Italy, at different price points. This is more of a factor in the choice of university than in Italy, where one looks for "renowned" universities.

Akin to Italy, public universities usually have a better reputation than private ones. That said, I have heard many stories about the hardships of studying in a public university in Argentina (i.e. political bullies will run the classroom, often disrupting classes and inciting revolts or to participate in demonstrations). In Italy, my university years were uneventful in that regard. Most people were not interested in politics, anyway. I studied in a STEM program, so maybe it was different in the Political Sciences School. No political involvement in my private university in Argentina, either.

Studying at a private university in Argentina is quite the norm. This is not the case in Italy (same for high school).

4th difference: in Argentina, you pay an enrollment fee every year, and you pay monthly installments. In Italy, I had to pay the enrollment fee only to enroll for the first time, i.e. to enroll in the program / Year 1. Tuition is paid twice a year in Italy, at the beginning of each semester. In Argentina, monthly tuition often means increased tuition. And you pay for 11-12 months (depending on your institution), even if classes run from March to late October.

My university's monthly tuition kept creeping up. In January 2025 was 176k ARS, in December 2025 it was 215k ARS. Overall, I spent about 1500 USD in 2025.

5th difference: You cannot reject a grade in Argentina and you have limited attempts at passing an exam. This is the opposite of Italy, where you can take an exam as many times as you want, and it is common to retake exams to improve a grade. Better grades = better final grade when graduating. This can be crucial to access careers in large multinational companies, where they won't even consider candidates who didn't graduate with a grade below the top.

Also, in Argentina all attempted exams are marked on your transcript with their fail grade, just like in the US. In Italy, your transcript only lists the exams passed, with no record of the number of attempts.

6th difference: assessment in Argentina is done throughout the year, instead of just during the exam session. Usually, private universities do not have a large number of students, and the classroom runs like in high school. Professors get to know you and give assignments every week or two. Often, these assignments are used to determine your final grade, or at least part of it. In my university, we had compulsory attendance (min. 75%) and this was a requirement to access "easier" evaluation sessions high-school style. In some instances, we could work at home and deliver our assignment by a certain date. I had classes 4 nights a week. Other universities have classes just 2-3 times per week.

In public university in Italy, a classroom of 200+ students is not uncommon and most programs do not have compulsory attendance, i.e. you can simply show up to sit an exam. That said, exams in Italy are closed-book and much extensive and in-depth than in Argentina, so skipping classes makes it much harder.

Finally, in Italy classes were lectures where the professor speaks and you take notes in silence. In Argentina, interactions between professors and students and among the students themselves is encouraged.

7th difference: in Argentina, university is more about practice and less about theory. In part, I believe that this is because very little people can afford to be full time students in their 20s. Most students are adults with a job and a family, classes are often held at night (late afternoon 5-6 pm to 9-10 pm) to allow more students to attend. Adults have other things to keep in mind than abstract notions, but are more skilled at putting into practice what they are learning because they have some real world experience. Also, keeping things simple is a way to make abandonment rates low.

When I was looking for study material online, the same subjects taught in Italy were much more in-depth vs. my private university in Argentina.

8th difference: in Argentina, professors are paid very little, so the quality is not paramount when selecting staff. Some teachers were rockstars in their subjects, some were there just to get by and earn something. Don't fall for the predicament private education = better professors.

9th difference: Research and Teaching are separate in Argentina. Professors tend to work in many institutions (high schools and other universities) and it is not prestigious to be a university professor.

In Italy, if you want to be a researcher, you have to teach, too. Becoming a university professor in Italy is an arduous endeavor that spans across decades. You have to get a PhD, first, and you basically live at the university since your graduation and until you retire (you spend your days there).

In Italy, some professors work in two universities, at most, but they do not juggle among 4-5 institutions/jobs like in Argentina. University professors aren't paid much also in Argentina, but in Italy they do consultations for large companies, which is were the real money is. In this sense, the prestige of being a university professors in Italy opens many professional doors to external collaborations.

In Argentina, being a high school professor and a university professor at the same time, knowing that you get hired by private universities only because you accept being paid little, does not help to get a reputation.

10th difference: item #8 applies also to administrative staff. I was appalled by the low level of service at my private university. I got a better service in the Italian public university. Furthermore, the fact that you pay to study at a private institution, also makes you a "client" and a marketing target. They let me enroll with very little paperwork, but when 4 years later it was time to issue my degree, they started asking more paper. It was very frustrating and annoying.

11th difference: there was no student advocacy group in my private university. When I had issues, I was alone vs. the bureaucratic monster. It would have been nice just to get some more guidance on enrollment, organization etc. I remember attending University fairs in my last year of high school in Italy, where you could speak with current students and get a feeling of the environment and of the experience/support in each university. In Argentina, I found very hard to find first hand experiences, basically, all I found were posts on Reddit about my university but different career. Or same career, but different university.

12th difference: in Argentina, there is a big division between those careers that have an impact on human life and those who don't. Lawyers, doctors, pharmacists etc. have a standard program (syllabus) to follow, regardless of the institution. Other careers, instead, have programs that are set by the university and approved individually by the Ministry of Education. This means that studying X in university A can be very different than studying the same program in university B. You have to really check the program before enrolling.

13th difference: after high school, you can attend an Instituto Terciario or a Universidad. Be careful about the different work opportunities each opens. A tecnicatura is a título terciario (sort of vocational degree, pre-grado), a universidad will give you a título de grado (university degree). It is not the same to be a Profesor (título terciario) and a graduate professor. I found this very confusing, as many smaller institutions only offer títulos terciarios but you have to read the fine print to realize it. Be also sure to check the Ministry of Education database to find out if the institution is accredited and issues a title that is recognized by the Min. of Edu.

14th difference: in Argentina, for regulated professions, once you graduate you are allowed to practice. In Italy, we have to sit a State Exam. This is done to ensure to meet certain standards, but in practice it is yet another exam after 40+ exams over 4-5-6 years. However, in Argentina you have to wait for the actual Diploma (hard copy) before you can join your professional council/bar. This takes about 6 months, and up to a year. During that time, you cannot practice.

In Italy, even if the diploma takes months, you can join your professional council/bar with a letter stating that you have passed the State Exam, which is issued as soon as the results are out.

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At the same time, last year I started another career, this time 100% remote, at another University in Argentina. My experience has been quite different, and it will make for an interesting comparison. This is the fee schedule of my remote program. As you can see, the monthly installments run from April to February, plus an enrollment fee (matrícula).

Same as before, but with English as a foreign language! Still three more years to go.

It is quite hard, and probably unfair, to compare a STEM degree done in your 20s in a public university in Europe vs. a Humanities degree done at a private university in South America in your 40s.

Provided that if the same rigour was applied in Argentina I probably wouldn't have completed my program, I am the last person who should complain and this is not my intention. These are my observations:

There is a huge distance between professors and students in Italy vs. Argentina. A lot boils down to the each professor, but in general in Argentina the distance is much shorter. The "vos" (informal "you") is used in Argentina, which is a big no-no in Italy. You address professor using the formal "you", they do the same with you. That said, it is easier to use this approach if you are a professor in your 40-50-60s and your students are 19 years old vs. in a classroom with adult students who are about your age, or maybe older. Only the Spanish Language teacher kept this distance, he was very rigorous and you had to actually study (memorize) to pass. I appreciate him a lot as I think that school should teach more than notions (rigour, punctuality, formality, commitment, hierarchy).

At first, I was very thrown back by the request to use the "vos" with professors, and I never ever did it. At the very least, it is an useful exercise to use the formal "you" (usted), and it is a form of respect.

During the first year, I was applying the same Italian standard to my Argentinian university experience, and I was angry most of the time. Professors arriving late, coursemates not doing homework / not studying / making up excuses or chatting during class hours.

In Argentina, it is common to arrive late (or never). In Italy, after 15' minutes you can't enter the classroom or if you do, the professors makes sure you won't do it twice (he will make a public comment to shame you, or just scratch their throat loudly to express their disappointment).

I remember that I wanted to take the taxi to arrive on time in class in downtown Buenos Aires when the bus was running late or there was a strike -- I am glad I saved that money! What a fool! Nobody cared and the first 20 minutes were spent chatting, anyway.

In Italy, I attended classes 8 hours a week, 4 days a week. One day we just had half a day of lectures. The other half we usually spent it at the university anyway, studying on our own in groups, helping each other out, solving exercises etc.

In Argentina, there aren't even study rooms (classroom are locked up when not booked, to avoid theft), and no one comes in earlier/stay later to study with their classmates. Again, when you are an adult, you are probably running from work to the classroom and then home where you have to cook something yourself, so it is understandable that you don't want to linger and socialize at the university.

The grading system in Argentina is on a 10-point scale. In my former university, the pass grade is 4. In my other university, it is 6 out of 10.

I don't feel that the grading scale was used fully. The grades were usually from 8 to 10. In general, I feel that the motto was "leave no man behind", so everyone passes, and the grade is not relevant. Better make everyone happy and move on with your life. In Italy, professors are not afraid to stop unprepared students and there is no consequence for them if you fail (even repeatedly). Top grades are awarded only in exceptional cases, and if the student really shows an in-depth extensive knowledge of the subject. In a private university, a "difficult" course or professor could mean less students, complains with the Administration, financial loss for the university etc. so this affect the level of demand from the professors. I had to actually study (memorizing) only 4 or 5 times, and for useless subjects like Philosophy or Theology.

On the bright side, I never had to purchase a book. They are provided (scanned), as otherwise it would be yet another put off for students. The school won't do photocopies to professors. Once or twice we were asked to pay for the printouts handed over in class (I am talking about 2 pages for a test, not entire textbooks). It was pennies, but it tells quite a bit about the university and the level of dissatisfaction of the professors, as well.

Compulsory attendance is often overlooked. This is still unbelievable to me, as the first year I was arranging my trip to Italy to not miss a single day of class, even if paying more for the airfare. Then I learned that nobody cares and I simply went for the cheapest fare on the dates that most suited me.

On schedule and attendance:

In Italy, the class schedule is followed rigorously. If it says 4 hours of lectures, it is four hours in the classroom with the professor explaining their subject and not 2 of lectures+chat and 2 hours of study at home (to do your homeworks)

I had postponed my enrollment in Argentina because the class schedule published online was showing classes 5 days a week from 6 pm to 10 pm. Actually, we only went once per week for each subject, therefore cutting in half the face-to-face lectures. Plus some 20-30' lost chatting at the beginning of the class (to wait for the late ones), and other interludes with chitchat. Then, classes ended no later than 9 pm because of safety concerns/long commuting for some students.

This meant that I left home at 5 pm and came back at 9.15 pm for 2 hours of classes, at most. Sometimes we felt that we had gone there for nothing, which was quite annoying when you have had a busy day and are tired. This is the very reason why I choose remote learning for the English program.

A classmate of mine wanted to study abroad through the university, but the Administration failed to reply to her emails. When she went there in person, they just bought time. Eventually, she gave up. But we kept getting emails about how "international" your experience at our university can be. Bollocks!

I feel that in my former university, there was no control over teaching staff. Some professors were great, on time, provided clear explanations and grades. Others "forgot" to come in for class, never returned corrected papers but gave you a grade anyway (the same given to all the classroom, to avoid complaints), others cancelled classes because they had other commitments. Ironically, we had to complete a satisfaction survey before the finals, but I think that with the limited funds the university has, they just have to make it work with what they can afford.

However, this is specific of one university and one program. My remote program is a tad more rigorous. Even if you have online assessments throughout the academic year, at the end you have to take an oral exam about all the program content.

I had to actually study and memorize things, just like I did in my 20s in Italy, even if it was just a 10' zoom with the professors. They aren't afraid to fail students or to give a 6 (the pass mark). We are over 150 students so there isn't time to get to know each one, the process is a bit more standardized, in this sense. Also, the fact that it is remote, brings down the social aspect of giving a low grade/backlashes from angry students. In this sense, I think this new university is harder, but with the convenience that you don't have to leave home.

That said, overall I feel that in Argentina it is more up to you to actually make an effort to learn, and less about actually assessing if you have actually learned enough to pass. It never happened to me in Italy to pass if I was unprepared. In Argentina, I have seen that a little weeping during an exam sitting can do miracles.

Personally, I did really made an effort and strove for high marks in my former university, even after I realized that high marks are handed out like candies and thus mean very little. Perhaps I was more aware of the effort I was putting, and that I had to take the most out of it in the limited time given. When I was in my 20s, I didn't know what I would actually need to learn for my job, as I had no idea what I would end up doing in real life. So, part is on the system, part is on me.

I won't be putting so much effort in my new program. I am a bit worn out and I do it mostly because I need to keep myself busy and there isn't much else to do around here (I like to take strolls in the countryside to relax, the countryside is 1 hour away and parks are unsafe).

I had considered doing a UK or Spanish online master's program (MA in Translation Studies), but they aren't recognized in Argentina if they are less than 3-year long, plus the equivalency should be done through a public university in Argentina, which is like Dante's circles of hell... (never heard back when I emailed UBA). I was also very interested to study this program here in Argentina because (according to the locals) the level is superb.

Quote from Bombinova

Your latter point about being able to practice following graduation in some regulated professions is interesting too. In the UK, a degree might give you many exemptions from professional exams but I can't think of a profession where a license to practice is issued without going through a formal period of practical experience where you must satisfy competencies over a period of time before a practicing certificate is issued.

This varies a lot depending on the profession.

With regards to Italy, Doctors of Medicine do a 3-year practice during their 6-year Degree (this is for basic medicine), have compulsory attendance to classes and practice etc. But for an accountant, an engineer, or an architect, there is no practice to sit the State Exam, which is based on theory alone. The only difference with university exam is that the State exam is designed to apply everything you have learned across subjects.

Mine was 3-day long, 2 for written exams and 1 for the oral assessment. I never practice as a self-employed, I didn't even need it to work, but you never know in life!

I was an employee at a large company, a useless cog in the machine, so I didn't need to sign anything officially. However, given the State Exam's theoretical nature, it is customary to sit it as soon as you graduate and are still "fresh" (you haven't yet forgotten what you learned in school).

Quote from Bombinova

And was this a regular study programme for Argentine nationals or one that attracts other foreign nationals?

I forgot to answer to this question. In my program, specifically, we only had a student visiting from Italy during a quarter in Year 2. As her Italian program was quite different from ours, she just attended one course with us, and two more courses at the Economy School and Social Sciences School. I got the feeling that it was more about the experience of living abroad than about studying abroad. It doesn’t help that the academic calendars are way off between the northern hemisphere and the south one. In Italy, an academic year runs from October to July, whereas in Argentina it runs from March to December.
It makes it very hard to take a semester abroad and not get behind with your home program.

Quote from UK Man

I wonder what the fail rate on degree courses is like here compared to the UK? According to the missus noone seems to fail anything here unless you drop out by your own accord.

I agree with your missus. I have never ever seen someone fail. Not even if they didn't attend classes despite mandatory attendance.

Only the Spanish Language professor was holding his ground and failing students that were not prepared.

In a different course, the professor graded the mid-term exams rigorously. 75% of the class failed. I was among the highest grades with 7 out of 10. A few complains later by the students with the registrar, and in the finals (a quick oral exam) my 7 became a 10 and we all passed (those who got 4 in the written mid-term ended with 8 after the oral exam, and so on).