What does “fairness” mean internationally in terms of access to higher education? Increased competition for places in elite universities has prompted a worldwide discussion regarding the fairness of student admission policies. Despite budget cuts from governments—and increasing costs for students—competition is fierce at the most prestigious institutions. Universities, already under stress, face a challenge in balancing institutional research goals, meeting individual aspirations for upward social mobility, and promoting the democratic ideal of equal opportunity.

Fair Access to Higher Education addresses this challenge from a broad, transnational perspective. The chapters in this volume contribute to our thinking and reflection on policy developments and also offer new empirical findings about patterns of advantage and disadvantage in higher education access. Bringing together insights drawn from a variety of fields, including philosophy, linguistics, social psychology, sociology, and public policy, the book sheds light on how “fairness” in university admissions has been articulated worldwide.

Anna Mountford-Zimdars is a teacher and researcher in higher education at King’s College London, interested in social stratification, and access to higher education and professional employment. David Post is a professor of Comparative and International Education at Pennsylvania State University.  He has researched and published on educational stratification, on child labor issues, and on the politics of educational mobilization and has served as the editor of Comparative Education Review. Daniel Sabbagh is a senior research fellow at Sciences Po in Paris. His current research interests focus on anti-discrimination and affirmative action policies, considered from a comparative and multi-disciplinary perspective.