Several studies have revealed that the socio-economic stratification problem in the field of higher education has not disappeared. In order to alleviate this problem, many countries have introduced alternative pathways into higher education. This Brief provides an overview of these pathways by focusing on the plurality of transitions into and within higher education.

The brief presents some figures on the duration of transition from secondary school to higher education, on the one hand, and from Bachelor to Master programmes, on the other. It also showcases examples of best-performing countries in terms of transitions into and within higher education.

It concludes by stating that the reasons behind the duration of transitions in each specific country are still unknown. However, explanations could be related to cultural aspects and policies, including the institutional framework of the school systems. The Brief is based on data gathered in the framework of the EUROSTUDENT project, which collects comparable student survey data on the social dimension of European higher education.

Link to the brief here