Educational trajectories in the context of the implementation of unrestricted admission to an Argentine university

Abstract

In the last decades, public policies aimed at the democratization of education have led to the modification of the regulations for admission and retention in the national universities of Argentina. This research aims to explore the university students’ perceptions about their own educational trajectories in the context of the unrestricted entry policies, and in relation to social, economic, and institutional factors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 students. The results indicate a divergence in educational trajectories in favor of the groups of students who belong to the most favored social sectors; those who can be economically supported by their parents and those who do not need to work. The interviews also reflect the difficulties that the university system faces (infrastructure, human resources) in responding to the demands of the increase in the number of students. In general, students value the importance of training and supporting freshmen, and the need for teachers with a high academic, pedagogical, and professional background.