Access and equity in higher education

Abstract

This article focuses on international patterns in access to higher education and the complex issues surrounding equity and social imbalances in access to higher education. The article identifies contemporary research questions, including the reasons for the apparent failure of mass higher education systems and equity programs to create significant inroads into the social stratification of higher education, the limitations of national data collection and databases, and the challenges for reconceptualizing equity in a massified, globalized, higher education environment. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.