Tens of Thousands Protest in Argentina Against University Funding Cuts

Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Argentina on May 13, 2026, to protest funding cuts by the government to the public university system. Huge crowds in central Buenos Aires marched toward the presidential palace to denounce budget shortfalls that demonstrators said are undermining higher education.

The protests included university students, teachers and people of all ages and political leanings. Argentina’s public universities have been tuition-free since 1949 and have produced five Nobel laureates. Congress approved a law last year to finance universities’ operating costs and increase academic salaries in line with inflation.

The government has refused to implement the law and is challenging the legislation in court.

Alvarez, the president’s undersecretary for university policy, dismissed the march as completely political. He said the government had compensated universities for higher costs, though unions stated the increases fall far short of what is needed. Since late 2023, university professors’ salaries have fallen by about a third in real terms after adjusting for inflation, according to the main teachers’ federation.

The government has sharply reduced public education spending as part of an effort to cut the state budget.

The demonstrations occurred as the government faces sliding approval ratings amid a shrinking economy, falling real wages and rising unemployment. Public anger has also been fueled by corruption allegations, including an investigation into spending by a cabinet chief that local media said appeared at odds with his official salary and declared assets.

The president has regularly described universities as centers of what he calls woke teaching.