In 2015 approximately 2.6% of the applicants for courses based on secondary school leaving examination (SSLE) were disadvantaged, a total of 2162. The group of persons
2 The analysis did not include those with young children who, given their sociological composition (being mostly women and typically more mature in terms of age) and training preferences, constitute a group in their own right.
3 Obviously it cannot be stated that these groups only include those who indicated their special position in the application procedure. Very likely there are applicants who do not want to avail themselves of the opportunity to be accorded extra points. On the other hand, indicating the need for extra points entitles the young people to other preferences as well so it is in their interest to check mark it.
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with disabilities comprised 1.2% of applicants or 972 persons.4 There is some overlap between the two groups but only 22 applicants check marked both categories.
Public education statistics can give an idea of how big the basis of these two groups is5. It transpires from the available data that annually approximately 10,000 socially disadvantaged students pass the SSLE while in the database of applicants for higher education only 3002 graduated in 2014 and requested extra points under the title of being disadvantaged, and in 2015 the same number was 1639. The same applies to persons with disabilities: the rate of applicants is far below the rate of SEN students graduating from secondary schools having passed the SSLE6. This suggests that there are substantial reserves in both populations.
The demographics of the two groups are slightly different. Socially disadvantaged applicants tend to be considerably younger than the average tertiary education applicant. This is not by chance as one of the conditions for granting extra points is the applicant’s age, which should be no more than 25. However, the overwhelming majority, 92%, are no more than 21 years of age, which is a clear indication that most of them apply for higher education in the year they take the SSLE or immediately after.
This means that public education has a crucial role in incentivising disadvantaged students to continue their studies in higher education.
Table 1 | Composition of the two groups by year of the SSLE (2015)*
Year of SSLE In the
year of application
One year earlier
years Two earlier
Three years earlier
Four years earlier
More than four years earlier
2015
Disadvantaged
applicants 75.8 10.3 7.3 3.7 1.8 1.1
Applicants with
disabilities 47.6 11.7 9.9 6.5 5.7 18.6
Total applicants 49.6 10.7 7.5 5.5 4.3 22.4
* Among those who applied for undergraduate or one-tier programmes or post-secondary non-degree vocational training courses as a first choice.
4 A total of 84.7 thousand young people applied for courses based on secondary school leaving examination (SSLE) that started in September 2015. It is to be noted that while there has been no significant change in the rate of applicants with disabilities since 2007 the rate of disadvantaged applicants, which in some years was 6-7%, has dropped significantly as a result of legislative changes.
5 Unfortunately the two databases cannot be linked at the level of individuals.
6 The number of SEN students graduating from grammar schools is approximately 500 and from vocational secondary schools 1000. Added to this group is approximately the same number of students with learning, behavioural and adaptive disorders. In contrast, there were 463 persons in the database who graduated from secondary school in 2015 and requested extra points under this title.
MARIANNA SZEMERSZKI: Access and Equity – Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education
A common feature of both groups is that they acquire the SSLE certificate in full-time education in grammar schools. This is typical not only for these groups but also for the majority of those who intend to study further in tertiary education. On a nationwide level almost two-thirds of the applicants are grammar school graduates while the rate of students acquiring their SSLE certificate in grammar schools is approximately 53%. This highlights the fact that grammar school graduates are more likely to apply for higher education. The two groups are in a special position in that the rate of applicants graduating from vocational secondary schools is somewhat higher than the nationwide average albeit the difference is only three and five percentage points respectively. Yet however small, this difference contributes to the lower rates of applicants with advanced level SSLE in one or more subjects, and/or have a language proficiency certificate among the applicants with disabilities and the socially disadvantaged youth alike (see Figure 1). In the Hungarian higher education admission procedure these two achievements are proof of knowledge that can be converted to additional points, which is a major factor in whether the applicant is admitted to the desired programme.7
41,4
45,1 36,8
34,4 31,9
26,9
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Advanced level SSLE Language proficiency certificate
Applicants total Disadvantaged Persons with disabilities
Figure 1 | Studies related extra score supporting admission (2015)*
* Among those who applied for undergraduate or one-tier programmes or post-secondary non-degree vocational training courses as a first choice.
7 In the application procedure 400+100 points can be acquired of which 100 are extra points are awarded for extra scholastic achievement (e.g. competition results, advanced level SSLE, language proficiency certificate), or vocational qualification, or as extra points as preferential treatment.
Acquiring extra points one way or another is highly necessary as the basic score awarded for scholastic achievement and the SSLE results is not sufficient for admission particularly to some popular programmes.
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While applicants with disabilities do not seem to have common territorial or regional characteristics socially disadvantaged applicants typically also struggle with locality-related disadvantages in addition to individual ones. This results in differences by type of locality (51.1% of them live in villages compared to the overall average of 27.7% among applicants), and territorially uneven distribution.
In 2015 approximately 44% of applicants entitled to extra points due to their social disadvantaged status came from three counties: Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Hajdú-Bihar and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, and the rate was similar in previous years.
Assessments prepared earlier also pointed out that the distribution of disadvantaged and multiply disadvantaged applicants by place of residence is by no means homogeneous and follows the patterns of economic development in the country (Szemerszki, 2010; Szemerszki, 2012; Hegedűs, 2015). The current data also reveal that due to the unevenness of territorial distribution three regions contributed more than two-thirds of applicants (see Figure 2). In the regions where the rate of disadvantaged applicants is highest the locality-related disadvantages are likewise greater: 55–65% of applicants with disadvantages are village dwellers and no more than one-tenth of those applicants live in the county seats.
2,4 12,9 8,2 14,7 10,5 10,1 32,0 9,1
0,0 15,4 9,9 39,5 16,6 4,5 11,2 3,0
1,0 15,4 10,1 11,5 11,4 10,5 29,5 10,5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45%
Total applicants Disadvantaged With disabilities
Abroad South Great Plain
South Transdanubia North G
reat Plain North H
ungary
Central Transdanubia Central H
ungary
West Transdanubia
Figure 2 | Regional distribution of applicants (2015)*
* Among those who applied for undergraduate or one-tier programmes or post-secondary non-degree vocational training courses as a first choice.
MARIANNA SZEMERSZKI: Access and Equity – Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education