This essay analyzes the public policies and approaches that the Costa Rican Government and some multilateral agencies, particularly the World Bank, have promoted and implemented for the last years in order to finance public higher education. Reference is made to the model of self-financing established in Chile in the 1980's, as well as the latest proposal raised in 2009 jointly by the World Bank and the Costa Rican Government in the document “Competitividad en Costa Rica”. Also, it is focused on the negotiation of the fifth agreement of the Special Fund for the State Higher Education (2009-2012) as well as the loan agreement between the Costa Rican Government and the World Bank to provide additional funding to public universities. Finally, this document referes to initiatives and mainstreaming under which the public University has promoted actions in pursuit of diversifying sources of financing in order to adjust the provision of resources to meet the academic and institutional functions that is responsible for.

World bank; Higher education; Public policy; State funding; Privatization; Institutional Recentralization Of The State; Special Fund For State Higher Education; Costa Rica