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University access for disadvantaged children: A comparison across English speaking countries

Author Info

  • John Jerrim

    ()

    (Institute of Education, University of London)

  • Anna Vignoles

    ()

    (Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge)

  • Ross Finnie

    ()

    (Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa)

Abstract

In this paper we consider whether certain countries are particularly adept (or particularly poor) at getting children from disadvantaged homes to study for a bachelor’s degree. A series of university access models are estimated for four English speaking countries (England, Canada, Australia and the United States) which include controls for comparable measures of academic achievement at age 15. We not only consider access to any university but also admission to a ‘selective’ institution. Our results suggest that socio-economic differences in university access are more pronounced in England and Canada than Australia and the United States, and that cross-national variation in the socio-economic gap remains even once we take account of differences in academic achievement. We discuss the implications of our findings for the creation of more socially mobile societies.

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Paper provided by Department of Quantitative Social Science - UCL Institute of Education, University College London in its series DoQSS Working Papers with number 12-11.

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Date of creation: 13 Dec 2012
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Handle: RePEc:qss:dqsswp:1211
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Department of Quantitative Social Science. UCL IOE, 20 Bedford Way London WC1H 0AL

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Web page: http://www.ioe.ac.uk/research/departments/qss/35445.html

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Keywords: : University access; educational inequality; social mobility; PISA.;

Find related papers by JEL classification:

  • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
  • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
  • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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  14. John Jerrim, 2012. "The socio-economic gradient in teenagers' literacy skills: how does England compare to other countries?," DoQSS Working Papers 12-04, Department of Quantitative Social Science - UCL Institute of Education, University College London.
  15. Bradbury, Bruce & Corak, Miles & Waldfogel, Jane & Washbrook, Elizabeth, 2011. "Inequality during the Early Years: Child Outcomes and Readiness to Learn in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States," IZA Discussion Papers 6120, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
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Cited by:

  1. Claire Crawford, 2014. "Socio-economic differences in university outcomes in the UK: drop-out, degree completion and degree class," IFS Working Papers W14/31, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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