Skip Navigation

The Education System in Argentina


Figure A-1. Levels of education in Argentina, by age and year of schooling: 2013

Levels of education in Argentina, by age and year of schooling: 2013

NOTE: Education levels are defined according to the 1997 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED97). Ages represent the typical age at the mid-term (June 30th). Numbers in
bold print indicate ages of universal enrollment (i.e., an enrollment rate of over 90 percent). Numbers highlighted represent the age at which compulsory enrollment begins through the age at which compulsory enrollment ends. No meaning should be inferred from width of subdivisions. Duration of first university degree program is generally 4 to 5 years in Argentina. A striped box indicates that at the corresponding age or grade level, a student may be in a school classified in either of the boundary ISCED levels.
SOURCE: Ministerio de Educacion. (2008). EducationEvolution:NationalReportofArgentina2004–2008. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved on April 12, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/argentina_NR08_es.pdf; Theiler, J. C. (2005). Internalization of Higher Education in Argentina. In H. de Wit,  I.C. Jaramillo, J. Gacel-Avila, & J. Knight (Eds), Higher Education in Latin America: The International Dimension, pp. 71-110. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. Retrieved on April 12, 2013, from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTLACREGTOPEDUCATION/Resources/Higher_Ed_in_LAC_Intnal_Dimension.pdf; United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2010/11). Datos Mundiales de Educacion: VII Ed. (World Data on Education). Paris: Author. Retrieved on April 12, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Argentina.pdf.


Preprimary:

  • Common name: Jardin maternal (day care nursery), jardin de infantes (kindergarten)
  • Ages of attendance: As early as 45 days old through age 5
  • Number of years: 1 to more than 5
  • Start of universal enrollment: Age 5
  • Compulsory: Yes, begins at age 5

NOTE: Preprimary education encompasses day care institutions for children from 45 days old to 2 years old and kindergarten for children from 3 to 5 years old.

Primary:

  • Common name: Escuela primaria
  • Ages of attendance: 6 through 11 or 12
  • Number of years: 6 or 7
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes

Lower secondary:

  • Common name: Escuela secundaria—ciclo basico
  • Ages of attendance: 12 or 13 through 14
  • Number of years: 2 or 3
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Students do not receive a diploma as the upper secondary level is compulsory.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name: Escuela secundaria—ciclo orientado
  • Ages of attendance: 15 through 17
  • Number of years: 3
  • Universal enrollment: Through age 15
  • Compulsory: Through age 16
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Students who pass the last year of the lower secondary level are enrolled in the first year of the upper secondary level. They receive their diploma when they pass all the courses of the level.

NOTE: Primary education and secondary education total 12 years of schooling. Jurisdictions may choose a structure that comprises 7 years of primary and 5 years of secondary education or 6 years of primary and 6 years of secondary education.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: Universidad, instituto universitario, instituto superior
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree program
  • Universal enrollment: No
  • Entrance criteria: Argentina does not have a common national evaluation system for all incoming students. Access is regulated by the universities and institutes themselves. While the regula-tions vary, most public universities have unrestricted admission, except for preadmission, support, and remedial courses.

NOTE: The organizational structure of the higher education system consists of two subsystems: university institutions and nonuniversity institutions. Within the first subsystem, universities (universidades) pursue activities in a variety of disciplines and offer predegree programs, undergraduate programs, and graduate programs, while university institutes (institutos universitario) are confined to a single discipline. Within the second subsystem, nonuniversity institutions include teacher training institutions (insitutos superiors de formacion docente), technical training (institutos de formacion tecnica), art education schools, and various "short courses" (courses lasting 1 to 4 years). Historically, there has been almost no coordination between the two subsystems.

Common degree programs:

  • Licenciado: 4- to 5-year bachelor's degree.
  • Especialización: A degree that requires at least a year to attain. It implies further training in a discipline or in an interdisciplinary field after the bachelor s degree.
  • Maestría: In addition to the requisites for specialization, a master's degree includes carrying out a project or defending a thesis under the guidance of a supervisor.
  • Doctorado: Doctoral degree, which aims at producing true and original contributions in a specific field of knowledge within a frame of academic excellence. These contributions are presented in a doctoral thesis and culminate in an evaluation by a jury.

Sources:

Argentine Republic, Ministry of Education. (2008). Education Evolution: National Report of Argentina 2004–2008. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_ Reports/ICE_2008/argentina_NR08_es.pdf.

Theiler, J.C. (2005). Internationalization of Higher Education in Argentina. In H. de Wit, I.C. Jaramillo, J. Gacel-Avila, and J. Knight (Eds.), Higher Education in Latin America: The International Dimension (pp. 71110). Washington, DC: The World Bank. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTLACREGTOPEDUCATION/ Resources/Higher_Ed_in_LAC_Intnal_Dimension.pdf.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. (2010). World Data on Education, 2010/11 (7th edition). Profile on Argentina. Paris: Author. Retrieved April 12, 2013, from http://www. ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/ WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Argentina.pdf.

Top