An examination of student loan programs to finance college education in developing nations finds that in Asia and Latin America the potential rate of cost recovery is better than for francophone and anglophone Africa, but that in Africa the approach would still permit a shift toward greater private financing of higher education. (MSE)

Data analyzed in this study are drawn from varied sources including documents provided by governments in the context of the World Bank's operational activity. The data on a basic set of indicators were assembled for a core of 11 Asian countries (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri…