Ratificación de las ayudas de extensión universitaria para 2000 (aprobada en Junta de Gobierno de 21 de marzo de 2000)

In understanding students’ access and transition pathways into higher education, three aspects are considered in this chapter: entry/access routes, transition pathways, and interruptions during higher education.

Students’ entry/access routes

Many countries offer prospective students with more than one access route to higher education. Box 2.1 illustrates the different access routes to higher education in the

EUROSTUDENT context and their classification into regular and alternative access routes1.

The regular entry routes to higher education generally include upper secondary quali- fication (ISCED 2011 34/35) and/or central higher education entrance exams for all students. In many countries, an upper secondary qualification is often the traditional direct entry route to most higher education institutions. In some countries and school types, it may combine both elements of academic and vocational training. The regular path into the higher education in several countries also includes an entrance examina- tion wherein all prospective higher education students have to pass a central higher education entrance examination in order to gain access to the higher education. In addition to regular entry routes, many countries offer other access routes to higher education for students who left school without an upper secondary qualification grant- ing them direct access. These include:

1 The question on students’ access routes provided multiple response options, so that students may have combined different routes to enter higher education.

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Upper secondary school academic track through adult learning – ISCED 2011 34/35/44/45:

This type of alternative access route involves obtaining the normal upper secondary leaving qualification after leaving the school system, often through courses for adult learners.

Special entry exams for certain student groups: This involves taking special examinations which are used to assess the capabilities of candidates for higher education entry, who do not have the regular entry qualifications.

Special access course: Graduating from a special access course, usually offered by the higher education institutions for specific subject areas, e.g. mathematics, may lead to candidates’ acceptance to higher education, usually in combination with other prior learning or experiences.

Accreditation/recognition of prior learning and/or vocational experience:This alternative entry route takes into account any former formal or informal training of the prospective students in determining access to higher education.

Transition pathways

In examining students’ transition pathways, three aspects are considered: the share and the characteristics of delayed transition students, prior experiences of students on the labour market, and the occurrence of interruptions in their educational career. Delayed transition students are classified as all students who experience a delay be- tween leaving school for the first time and entering higher education for the first time that amounts to more than two years.

The analyses on transition pathways also include an examination of students’ prior experiences on the labour market. Students’ prior work experiences can be categorised into ‘casual’ and ‘regular’ jobs. In the context of EUROSTUDENT, casual jobs are clas- sified as gainful employment for less than one year or jobs in which the student worked for less than 20 hours per week. On the other hand, regular jobs include employment activities that lasted for at least one year and in which the student spent more than 20

Box 2.1

Routes into higher education

HIGHER EDUCATION ENTRY Entrance examination for all

Upper secondary qualification (ISCED 34/35) Upper secondary school academic track through adult learning (ISCED 34/35/ 44/45) Accreditation of prior learning and/or vocational experience (APR) Regular (traditional) routes Alternative routes Special exam for certain student groups

Up to lower secondary education (ISCED 2)

Special access courses

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hours per week. For the analyses of students’ prior work experience, only regular paid jobs are considered.

The category ‘interruptions during educational career’ includes an analysis of students who experienced a break of at least one year between entering and graduating from higher education for the first time.

Notes on national surveys

For a number of countries, the data on indicators related to students’ alternative access routes to higher education and their transition pathways are of limited international comparability.

According to the EUROSTUDENT survey conventions, the question on students’ access route had the possibility of choosing multiple responses. However, some countries (Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland) did not pose this as a multi- ple response question.

In the Netherlands, data on alternative access routes through adult learning (Mbo) are of limited international comparability because students who are 16 years or old- er can also enroll in Mbo. Thus, it may not always be considered as adult learning. For a few countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, and Slovenia) the data

with regard to delayed transition students are of limited international comparabil- ity. On the basis of Austrian data, it is difficult to differentiate between ‘leaving school for the first time’ and ‘obtaining higher education entrance qualification’. Therefore, in the case of Austria, the number of delayed transition students might be slightly underrepresented. Contrary to the EUROSTUDENT survey conventions, in the Czech Republic, the group of delayed transition students also includes stu- dents from Slovakia who obtained their leaving qualifications in the Czech Republic. Estonia, France, and Slovenia calculated the time delay between leaving school for the first time and entering higher education based on years instead of months. France and Romania also indicated limited comparability for the data on experience

on the labour market before entering higher education. In France students who engaged in vocational training before entering higher education are also included in the category ‘regular job’ before entering higher education. In Romania, the ma- jority of students do not have any work experience prior to entering higher educa- tion.

Romania and Switzerland have indicated limited comparability with regard to their data on interruption between entering and graduating from higher education. In Romania, the question associated with the indicator was not posed as a multiple response question. In the case of Switzerland, it is not possible to differentiate be- tween ‘interruption between entering higher education and graduating’ and ‘inter- ruption between graduating from higher education and re-entering’. This is because these data are based on registry records.

Strengths and shortcomings of EUROSTUDENT data

EUROSTUDENT data on students’ transition into higher education capture the differ- ent types of access routes offered in EUROSTUDENT countries. They provide informa- tion on the social and educational background of the students entering higher educa- tion via alternative access routes. Further, EUROSTUDENT data allow for examining the share and characteristics of the delayed transition students within the higher edu-

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cation systems across countries. Information on the social and educational background of students is generally not captured completely by administrative statistics.

Data on this topic are somewhat difficult to standardise and capture. It should therefore be noted that the data in this chapter are better suited towards overall comparisons rather than detailed analyses of any one country.