Expansion and inequality of higher education in China: how likely would Chinese poor students get to success?

ABSTRACT

This article tests effectively maintained inequality theory against the case of China. Employing Chinese College Student Survey data from 2012, the study elaborates on the rationale and causes behind the expansion of higher education over the last two decades and the impact this has had on the system. Rather than empowering disadvantaged students, the findings show that the expansion of Chinese higher education fails to reduce the inequity in China, in particular in providing low socio-economic status students access to elite Chinese universities and obtaining good positions in the job market.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education
• expansion
• equity
• EMI theory

Acknowledgements

The authors of this research greatly appreciate the insightful and constructive comments and suggestions from the editors and anonymous reviewers of Higher Education Research & Development.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Which equals to 0.85 standard deviation in our 2012 data.