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The Barriers Of Access To Elite Higher Education In Russia

Author

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  • Ilya Prakhov

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics.)

Abstract

Despite the trends of massification of Russian higher education and recently introduced standardized entry exams, university applicants still may face barriers during the process of admission. As a result, they may be admitted to less selective universities, which generally offer low quality education programs as opposed to selective universities. This paper examines the factors which influence student choice of university as measured by the level of university selectivity. We show that university selectivity can be determined not only by the Unified State Exam scores among admitted students (the main criteria of applicant selection in Russia), but by characteristics that are not directly related to the applicants’ abilities: parental education, family income, cultural capital, as well as by features of secondary school (type of school and class specialization) and level of investment in pre-entry coaching. These factors raise questions about equal opportunities for admission and the accessibility of top quality higher education for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilya Prakhov, 2014. "The Barriers Of Access To Elite Higher Education In Russia," HSE Working papers WP BRP 19/EDU/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hig:wpaper:19edu2014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrey Ampilogov & Ilya Prakhov & Maria Yudkevich, 2013. "One or Many? Using the New Opportunities of the Unified State Exam in Russian University Admissions," HSE Working papers WP BRP 12/EDU/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    2. Chevalier, Arnaud & Conlon, Gavan, 2003. "Does it pay to attend a prestigious university?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19477, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Hanushek, Eric A & Rivkin, Steven G & Taylor, Lori L, 1996. "Aggregation and the Estimated Effects of School Resources," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 78(4), pages 611-627, November.
    4. Sergey Shishkin, 2006. "Elite and mass higher education: Socio-economic differentiation," Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 2, pages 203-221.
    5. Ludger Wößmann, 2003. "Schooling Resources, Educational Institutions and Student Performance: the International Evidence," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 65(2), pages 117-170, May.
    6. Trow, Martin A, 2000. "From Mass Higher Education to Universal Access: The American Advantage," University of California at Berkeley, Center for Studies in Higher Education qt9f02k0d1, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley.
    7. Prakhov, Ilya & Yudkevich, Maria, 2019. "University admission in Russia: Do the wealthier benefit from standardized exams?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 98-105.
    8. Stacy Berg Dale & Alan B. Krueger, 2002. "Estimating the Payoff to Attending a More Selective College: An Application of Selection on Observables and Unobservables," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(4), pages 1491-1527.
    9. Arleen Leibowitz, 1977. "Parental Inputs and Children's Achievement," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 12(2), pages 242-251.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ilya A. Prakhov, 2014. "The Dynamics Of Investment In Pre-Entry Coaching And The Returns From Private Tutoring In Russia," HSE Working papers WP BRP 18/EDU/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    2. Ilya Prakhov, 2015. "The dynamics of investment in pre-entry coaching and the returns from private tutoring among university applicants in Russia," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 37(1), pages 107-124.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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