The accessibility of higher education for urban and rural students in post-socialist Russia

Higher Education. 2026. Vol. 91. P. 651–675.

Prakhov I., Gadzaonov A.

This study assesses the barriers to higher education for students from urban and rural areas. We argue that students from different settlements face inequalities at least twice: at the moment preceding admission (those are reflected in their academic achievement) and during the admission process (when choosing a university of a certain quality). Family SES and schooling background are regarded as sources of inequality, and their impact on successful admission is enhanced by strong socioeconomic and educational variation between urban and rural areas. Based on the data of the Monitoring of the Educational Markets and Organizations, it was proved that students from small towns and rural areas in Russia have lower state university entrance exam (USE) scores since they are influenced by exogenous variables, incl. type of a settlement. This creates inequalities in the first stage. The barriers to the second stage, besides academic performance, include the type of settlement, family income, and education in a special school. Hence, students from large cities benefit from the USE, as they face fewer barriers compared to rural students. In the absence of additional mechanisms of student support, students from small towns and rural areas face more significant barriers, which may have long-term consequences on their future development.

Keywords: высшее образование, доступность высшего образования, ЕГЭ, the USE, accessibility of higher education, the Unified State Examination, Единый государственный экзамен, urban/rural students, higher education

Publication based on the results of: Undergraduate and doctoral student experience in the context of the student body diversification (2024)