Original Article ISSN (Online): 2350-0530 ISSN (Print): 2394-3629 International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH October 2023 11(10), 36–51 How to cite this article (APA): Joaquim, J. A., Cerdeira, L., and Cossa, E. F. R. (2023). Student Loans: An Alternative to Finance Studies Used by Higher Education Students in Mozambique. International Journal of Research - GRANTHAALAYAH, 11(10), 36–51. doi: 10.29121/granthaalayah.v11.i10.2023.5350 36 STUDENT LOANS: AN ALTERNATIVE TO FINANCE STUDIES USED BY HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN MOZAMBIQUE José Amilton Joaquim 1 , Luísa Cerdeira 2 , Eugénia Flora Rosa Cossa 3 1 PhD in Economic and Organizational Sociology, Lecturer in the Category of Assistant at the Faculty of Education at Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique 2 PhD in Educational Sciences, Retired Associate Professor at the Institute of Education of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon 3 PhD in Educational Sciences, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique ABSTRACT Student loans as an alternative to social support for students are a contribution of economic theory to the financing of higher education. This study seeks to reflect on loans as a social support policy used by several countries for higher education students and to show the reality of loans made by higher education students in Mozambique. Data were collected from a questionnaire applied to higher education students, for a theoretical sample of 508 and an empirical sample of 607 students in the province of Gaza, in February and March 2018. Results reveal that student loans are not a social support policy co-financed by the Mozambican State, as in other contexts. Students have turned either to formal institutions, such as commercial and microfinance banks or to informal associations, called Xitique, to cover the costs of their studies. This allows concluding that, despite the challenges, loans can be a positive alternative for the government in the diversification of social support to students, which will allow better access to higher education, provided that they are introduced taking into account students/families’ socioeconomic conditions and with efficient mechanisms or systems that help control borrowers’ reimbursements and disbursements. Received 22 September 2023 Accepted 23 October 2023 Published 06 November 2023 Corresponding Author José Amilton Joaquim, jhamylton@yahoo.com.br DOI 10.29121/granthaalayah.v11.i10.202 3.5350 Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. With the license CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author. Keywords: Higher Education Students’ Loans, Higher Education Students’ Social Support, Accessibility and Equity in Higher Education 1. INTRODUCTION The 1960s and 1970s are considered the golden age of higher education in Africa, and the demand for this level of education by students and families tends to increase, with a majority of families holding higher education training perceived as an opportunity to counter social mobility.