PerspectivePublished 20 October 2026Beyond tuition-free higher education: financial stress, student sustainability, and persistence-related vulnerability in EcuadorDarlyn Tenelanda Mora · Luis Enrique Mejia Cervantes · Francisco Del Cioppo Morstadt · Dilmar Delgado DelgadoFrontiers in Educationdoi 10.3389/feduc.2026.1957556