A Typology of Admission Systems Across Europe and Their Impact on the Equity of Access, Progression and Completion in Higher Education

Admission systems to higher education are the key point for determining which students go into which type of higher education institution. Based on how admission systems are designed, they will allow access to a smaller or larger number of students, but they will also shape participation by social background. However, the admission system is neither simply the transition point between upper secondary schooling and higher education nor simply a matter of procedures and regulations. This paper argues that who gets into which part of a higher education system is determined by three aspects: how the schooling system is organised, how higher education institutions (can) recruit students, and how prospective students make choices about where to go. Each of these three aspects also affects who ends up in a higher education programme, so they are relevant for any discussion on the social dimension of higher education participation. This perspective is operationalised through a four-field typology of admission systems. Understanding how each aspect ‘works’ and how they interact opens up the opportunity to review and change higher education admission policies to make higher education more inclusive.

See: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-77407-7_12