The Quest for Equity in Chile's Higher Education

This is one of the one of the most thorough and useful books written about the many recent attempts, over the last two decades, to improve fair access to higher education in Chile. Based on substantial research and convincingly argued it will have an impact not only on future research but on current discussions and future policy debates grappling with this increasingly important issue. -- Jose Joaquin Brunner, tenured professor and researcher at the Faculty of Education of the Diego Portales University in Chile A lively and insightful study of the equity challenges of Chilean higher education. Despite rapid recent expansion, Chilean universities still reflect broader social inequities. Covering government and institutional policy reforms, the authors highlight the ongoing need both to widen access and improve student outcomes. Rich in evidence and comparative international analysis, the book shows the importance of financial incentives, high school reform, and new admissions policies to raising university equity. The book will appeal to scholars, students, and policy makers. -- Andrew Harvey, Director of the Centre for Higher Education Equity and Diversity Research For those interested in how changes in higher education financial aid and admissions policies can broadly impact equity, access and persistence, the authors provide an all-embracing, sound theoretical and methodological reporting on the culmination of the transformative higher educational efforts engaged by the Chilean government. The book is a must-read for those interested in acquiring knowledgeable, distinct insight into the realizations and encounters along the journey toward access and change for the better of student academic outcomes in Chile. -- Amaury Nora, professor of higher education, co-director of the Center for Research and Policy in Education, and associate dean for research in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Maria Veronica Santelices is associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Catherine Horn is professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Policy Research and Evaluation at the University of Houston. Ximena Catalan is a PhD student at the Department of Education at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.

Acknowledgments Prologue List of Relevant Terms Section I. Framing the Issue Chapter 1: Introduction, Maria Veronica Santelices, Catherine Horn, and Ximena Catalan Chapter 2: Chile's Higher Education System: Structure and Policies Behind Increased Enrollment, Maria Veronica Santelices, Ximena Catalan and Catherine Horn Chapter 3: United States Postsecondary Education as a Point of Comparison, Catherine Horn, Maria Veronica Santelices, and Ximena Catalan Section II. Higher Education Decision-Making Process Chapter 4: The Role of Information in Students' Transition to Higher Education, Maria Veronica Santelices, Ximena Catalan, Magdalena Zarhi, and Catherine Horn Chapter 5: Tuition Fees and Student Financial Aid and Higher Education Enrollment: the Case of Chile, Carlos Williamson, Macarena Kutscher, Cristina Riquelme and Maria Veronica Santelices Section III. University Admissions Chapter 6: University Admission Criteria in Chile, Maria Veronica Santelices, Ximena Catalan and Catherine Horn Chapter 7: High School Ranking Policy: Expected and Observed Consequences, Maria Veronica Santelices, Ximena Catalan, Catherine Horn and Alejandra Venegas Chapter 8: Equity Admissions Initiatives in Chile: Experiences from Three Selective Universities, Maria Veronica Santelices, Catherine Horn, and Ximena Catalan Section IV. Student Financial Aid and Educational Outcomes Chapter 9: Effects of Financial Aid Initiatives at the National level, Maria Veronica Santelices, Catherine Horn, Ximena Catalan and Diana Kruger Chapter 10: Effects of Financial Aid at the Institutional level, Catherine Horn, Macarena Alarcon, Maria Veronica Santelices and Ximena Catalan Section V. Conclusions and Lessons Learned Chapter 11: Conclusions and Lessons Learned, Maria Veronica Santelices, Catherine Horn, and Ximena Catalan About the contributors