Ahead of the pack? Explaining the unequal distribution of scholarships in Germany

Abstract

This article investigates to what extent scholarships are unequally distributed among students in Germany and how these inequalities can be explained. Following sociological theory, the article argues that elites seek qualitative ways of distinguishing themselves in a mass higher education system. Using student surveys, we demonstrate that class effects cannot merely be explained with reference to class differences in academic achievement but that higher classes have better access to scholarships independent of earlier school performance. Class differences were particularly persistent when the intermediate classes were compared with higher classes with more education. These findings illustrate that social classes have different strategies when it comes to participating in higher education and suggest that information about and access to scholarships is important in gaining a class advantage.

Keywords:

• Higher education
• educational inequality
• stratification in higher education
• scholarships
• socio-economic background

Notes

1. As the result of two processes, the effects of social origin diminish during the educational career. First, the effects of social origin decline at branching points as the parental influence diminishes during the life course (Blossfeld and Shavit 1993). Second, because of filtering at earlier transitions, only the brightest from the less privileged social groups attain HE (Mare 1980).

2. Doctoral candidates were excluded from the sample.

3. Note that the ratio of total population to scholarship recipients is disadvantageous but should not negatively affect the analysis because the sample size is quite large (Peng, Lee, and Ingersoll 2002).

4. For two reasons, fathers’ occupation is preferred here over the usual operationalisation of social background by highest occupational position of both parents. First, the Erikson–Goldthorpe scheme is not a strict hierarchical scheme. Second, due to earlier selection processes in the German educational system, students in tertiary education are already a privileged group in terms of social background. An indicator based on parents’ highest occupational class would result in a very left-skewed distribution.

5. For comparability of achievement indicators across federal states, final examination grades were standardised by states. Because of the federal organisation of education, the set-up of final school examinations varies.

6. Before the implementation of the Bologna process, students had to take pre-examinations after several semesters.

7. As participation in sports clubs and cultural activities are convenient hobbies rather than engagement, these activities were only coded as engagement if respondents indicated they held an office within the sport clubs or cultural groups.

8. The correlation between fathers’ class and the dummy for fathers’ tertiary education is –0.55. Identical models were run excluding social class, revealing a larger and positive effect of fathers’ tertiary degrees but this was insignificant and less than the effect of mothers’ tertiary education, indicating that mothers’ education has a vital impact.