Social inequalities and study choices: dynamics of exclusion in access to higher education in Ecuador

Despite the global expansion of higher education, studies show that merit-based admission systems do not necessarily eliminate social inequalities. Instead, they may reproduce barriers to entry or widen horizontal gaps linked to prestige and quality hierarchies among institutions and degrees. In 2012, Ecuador introduced a higher education reform that established a single admission system based on standardized test scores and secondary school grades as the main entry criterion, while incorporating measures to promote inclusion through affirmative action. This study examines vertical and horizontal inequalities shaped under Ecuador’s higher education admission system. Analyzing data from 2020 applicants, it assesses how social inequalities are reproduced through application scores and study choices. The results indicate that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those with non-traditional educational trajectories, and those with prior educational disadvantages not only tend to achieve lower admission but also exhibit a reduced likelihood of choosing highly selective institutions or degrees, regardless of their scores. These findings challenge the assumption that access to the most selective programs is based solely on academic merit and problematize the rhetoric of ‘free choice’ in students’ transitions to higher education, contributing to the comparative analysis of access policies that combine merit-based criteria with affirmative action.