Students' Perspectives Regarding (Dis)advantage on Making Choices about Universities to Enrol In: A South African Case

Although engagement of the low-income students increased since the introduction of inclusive policies in the post-apartheid higher education in South Africa, inequality of access, participation and achievement still persists. While focus has been on increasing enrolment and addressing students' concerns in universities, little attention has been dedicated to exploring student (dis)advantage when making choices about a given university. This study aims to understand the opportunities that students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds have in making choices about the universities they wish to attend. Using the capability approach the findings of this study show that when students have the opportunity and agency to make informed decisions about university selection, they are able to follow their desired educational and career goals and become advantaged. This qualitative study draws from semi-structured interviews from 26 final-year undergraduate and honours students from one South African university. Findings show that despite of students' aspirations, the low-income students' abilities to make informed decisions were constrained by the circumstantial factors particularly the interplay of lack of financial resources, support and information, and failure to meet the required entry requirements, which imply disadvantage. By a way of contrast, middleclass students' decisions were based on their long-term plans and were reflective of their rational choices pointing to advantage. While universities might not be able to address some of the reported challenges, the study offers some recommendations for universities and schools to consider as a way of improving students' inclusive access to universities. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]