Understanding student loans in Uzbekistan

Abstract

In this study, we analyze the effect of reform on the student loan system in Uzbekistan. Using the panel data method, we captured the changes in the volume of student loans in different regions of Uzbekistan. The main purpose of this study is to explore the role of regional characteristics that can amplify or weaken the effect of reform. We employ population size, income, number of universities in a region, and inflation rate to represent region-specific characteristics. Our findings show that new policies had a significant positive effect on the volume of student loans. However, this effect is stronger for regions with low income.