How Many StudentS will enter tertiary education

How Many StudentS will enter tertiary education?

Based on current patterns of entry, it is estimated that an average of 59% of today’s young adults

in OECD countries will enter tertiary-type A (largely theory-based) programmes and 19% will enter tertiary-type B (shorter, and largely vocational) programmes over their lifetimes.

IndIcatorC2

Between 1995 and 2009, entry rates for tertiary-type A programmes increased by nearly

25 percentage points, on average across OECD countries, while entry rates for tertiary-type B programmes remained stable.

Chart C2.1. Entry rates into tertiary-type A and B education (1995 and 2009)

Tertiary-type A 20091995

Tertiary-type B %

1. Year of reference 2000 instead of 1995.

2. In 2009, the entry rates for tertiary-type A programmes include the entry rates for tertiary-type B programmes.3. Year of reference 2008 instead of 2009.

Countries are ranked in descending order of entry rates for tertiary-type A education in 2009.

Source: OECD. Argentina, China, Indonesia: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (World Education Indicators Programme). Tables C2.1, C2.2. See Annex 3 for notes (doc.guandang.net).1 2 doc.guandang.net

context

Entry rates estimate the proportion of people who will enter a specific type of tertiary education programme during their lifetimes. They also indicate the accessibility of tertiary education and the perceived value of attending tertiary programmes, and provide some indication of the degree to which a population is acquiring the high-level skills and knowledge valued by today’s labour market. High entry and participation rates in tertiary education imply that a highly educated labour force is being developed and maintained.

In OECD countries, the belief that skills acquired through higher education are valued more than those held by people with lower educational attainment stems from the depreciation, both real and feared, of “routine” jobs that could be exported to low-wage countries or mechanised, as well as from the growing understanding that knowledge and innovation are sources of growth in high-income countries. Tertiary institutions will be challenged not only to meet growing demand by expanding the number of places offered, but also to adapt programmes and teaching methods to match the diverse needs of a new generation of students.

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Education at a Glance © OECD 2011

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