An Exploratory Study Examining Barbadian Students' Knowledge and Awareness of Costs of University of the West Indies Education

Abstract

This study explores Barbadian students' knowledge/awareness on various facets of costs associated with their University of the West Indies (UWI) education and student perceptions of State funded education. The study was conducted subsequent to the announcement of UWI tuition fees which came into effect in September 2014. Ninety-three Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) students participated in the study. The research highlighted that:-(1) FSS students have serious gaps in knowledge regarding their UWI education costs, (2) many FSS students are motivated to work harder at their studies when studies are personally self-financed, (3) FSS students associate opportunity costs with lost income, lost time with family/friends, and lost leisure opportunities with their UWI studies, and (4) FSS students perceive that the Government of Barbados (GOBD) incurs an opportunity cost by financing UWI education. The paper concludes by discussing implications for policy and practice.