Higher education marketing in Chile

It's not a secret that chilean higher education is organized under the market logic. Every year, we see thousands of advertisings about universities, scholarships, rankings, and many others. The "higher education market" has grown exponentially in our country; with a large students population and several universities and institutes. With such a diverse offer of "products", universities and careers in this case, choosing one or another might become a very hard decision. 

It is in this point, that marketing makes its appearence. With 21th century possibilities on advertising; internet, television, magazines and mass media in general; there are a lot of ways to get to the students. This is a completely deregulated market; there are not limits concerning publicity. With this advertising blitz, many students could be influenced with amazing numbers, "internacional accreditations" and astonishing benefits, which in many cases are just an exaggeration of reality. Like this, many institutions trick teenagers about facts concerning their careers. 

Ethical issues in this kind of marketing are serious. The practices described here may lead to price rises and considering students as just costumers looking for a product in a supermarket. This is not ethical and correct at all, and should be regulated with urgency. Higher education should not be considered as any more market, like cars or laptots. It is something very important to countries development and for society in general.