Toward a More Equal Admission? Access in the Mass Higher Education Era

Аннотация

The Chinese higher education sector has experienced unprecedented growth since the end of the 1990s. The number of students has increased from less than around 4 million in 1999 to more than 32 million in 2014 (National Bureau of Statistics of China 2014). With its increasing capacity to serve more students, one question that researchers keep asking is whether the system has become more equal. It is without doubt that the higher education sector has provided more places for students from different social backgrounds. However, this does not mean that the increasing chances are equally available to those traditionally underrepresented in higher education, including those from rural communities or with a lower socioeconomic status. Moreover, it does not mean that these students are equally competitive in gaining access to the more selective colleges and universities.