Class Differences in Graduation Rates in Selective and Non- Selective Universities in the UK

Rational choice scholars widely use Boudon’s (1974) distinction between primary and secondary effects to explain social class differences in educational attainment. Boudon (1998) posits that ‘secondary effects’ refer to the effect of social class on educational decisions, net of academic ability. On the other hand, scholars who study the impact of institutions on educational outcomes point out that institutional selectivity has a differential impact on students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. However, there is no clear consensus regarding the direction of these effects. Whereas some scholars predict lower[1] graduation rates for students from lower class backgrounds who attend highly selective institutions (Arkes 1999; Amber and Neathery 1999; Pell 2003; Deer 2005; Kieffer and Reimer 2008); others predict that the likelihood of graduating increases as the selectivity of the institution attended rises (Alon and Tienda 2005; Bowen and Box 1998).

Using student-longitudinal data from the Higher Education Statistic Agency in the UK, I assess in this paper through multilevel and matching techniques, whether the likelihood of completing a degree for students from different class backgrounds increases as the selectivity of the institution rises. The findings reveal that students from lower class backgrounds who attend highly selective universities have higher chances of graduating than their counterparts who attend less selective universities. In addition, the results show the existence of class disparities among students of comparable academic ability at the most selective institutions.

---

[1] Among this group, we find those who support the mismatch hypothesis. These scholars claim that there is a mismatch between minority students’ academic preparation and the scholastic requirements of their institutions. Due to their lower academic credentials, students from minority groups have lower graduation rates than their counterparts with similar characteristics who attend less selective institutions.

See more of: Drop out from Tertiary Education – Life Courses and Returns to Human Capital
See more of: RC28 Social Stratification
See more of: Research Committees

<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract