Access to selective universities in Chile: Can institutional strategies of secondary schools mitigate the burden of cultural capital?

Abstract

The purpose of the following research is to examine the impact of institutional strategies to encourage the promotion of university studies by secondary schools on the results of the university exam and the access of students To selective universities, in a context of inequitable overcrowding of tertiary studies where social, economic and cultural background has a strong influence over the access to these institutions. The participants of this study correspond to a representative sample of students (N = 817) from the last year of secondary education belonging to scientific-humanistic schools located in the province of Concepcion, Chile. The results of this research confirm the influence of the individual cultural capital and the social composition of the schools on the students’ performance in the University Selection Examination (PSU) and, therefore, on selective universities enrolment, but they also evidence that the institutional strategies designed and implemented by secondary schools can moderate this influence and are particularly fruitful for students who need them the most.