Understanding Ecuador's Higher Education Admission System: Student Representations and Their Influence on Shaping Study Choices

In 2010, Ecuador established a unified university admissions system based on a standardized test, including bonus points for vulnerable students as a key affirmative action measure. However, merit-based systems can reproduce access barriers due to the impact of inequality on admission scores (Jackson et al., 2007) and students’ career choices (Reay et al., 2001). A crucial factor influencing study choices is not only the information students have about the system (Ball & Vincent, 1998) but also their perceptions of merit, risk, and their chances of accessing higher education (Clycq et al., 2014). Therefore, choices are shaped not only by rational considerations but also by culturally defined horizons of possibilities (Glaesser & Cooper, 2014).

This study analyzes how students benefiting from affirmative action perceive the admission system in Ecuador and how these perceptions influence their career choices with varying selectivity levels. The study draws on 26 semi-structured interviews with students from Universidad Central del Ecuador, one of the largest and most prestigious public universities.

Results show that both high- and low-selectivity career choices are influenced by perceptions of the admission system. There is confusion about the criteria for affirmative action allocation, coupled with a denial of the structural inequalities that justify these policies. As a result, students don’t see their access as a right, linked to equal opportunities. Furthermore, perceptions of an unfair system with unclear rules lead students, even those with high admission scores, to opt for less selective programs to minimize risk, despite these not being their preferred choices. Lastly, the perception of systemic unfairness is linked to viewing admission to highly selective programs as a matter of luck rather than merit. These findings highlight the need for public education policy measures beyond affirmative action bonus scores, particularly focusing on information and guidance in the career selection process.