Barriers Limiting Access to Quality Higher Education in the Context of the USE: Family and School as Constraining Factors

Abstract

Abstract. Despite massification of higher education in Russia and standardized entry examinations, candidates may still encounter some obstacles while trying to enter a university. Access to higher education can be limited at different levels: personal (lack of competencies required to enter a specific university), family (social and cultural status of parents), or institutional (the schooling system). Being affected by these factors, a candidate might only qualify for a non-selective university offering curricula of lower quality. This paper uses the data provided by the Monitoring of Education Markets and Organizations and by the ranking assessing the quality of admission to higher education institutions to evaluate the factors affecting the choice of university based on the level of its selectivity. It appears that opting for a selective higher education institution not only depends on the USE (Unified State Exam) points obtained by the candidate (the major criterion of admission in the Russian Federation) but is also determined by the factors that are not directly associated with the candidate's skills: father's education, financial standing of the family, its cultural capital, school characteristics (type of school, specialization in the class), and the amount of financial investments in test preparation courses. All together, these factors challenge the equality of opportunities for candidates and the accessibility of quality higher education for students from low-income families.

The Myth about Universal Higher Education: Russia in the International Context

“…Ilya Prakhov [2015] shows that the Unified State Examination has not ensured equal access to quality higher education. The choice of a selective college (with competitive admission to government-funded places and high quality of teaching) is determined not only by universal state examination (USE) scores but also by the socioeconomic status, the type of secondary school completed, and the amount invested in preparation for the USE.…”

Trends In Preferences Of Russian School Graduates: Analysis Of Examination Results

“…On the one hand, passing the USE is required to obtain a secondary school diploma. Only those graduates who pass successfully the exam in compulsory subjects (the Russian language and Mathematics) (Prakhov, 2015) can receive a secondary school diploma. On the other hand, having successfully passed the USE in the subjects required for matriculation to a university, the graduate gets the opportunity to become a student at a prestigious educational institution in a demanded profession.…”

The Impact of Family on Educational and Career Choice in Russia and Germany

“…Семьи с низким уровнем достатка считают наиболее важными профессиональными качествами исполнительность, способность к выполнению имеющихся задач, уважение к иерархии. В семьях обеспеченных людей, напротив, ценятся креативность, лидерские и творческие способности [7].…”