Exploring the role of students’ ethnic-minority and socio-economic status in entering open-admissions higher education

This study contributes to research on higher education (HE) inequalities by exploring how ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) shape HE decision-making within the context of an open-admissions HE-system (Flanders), where formal barriers are minimal, in contrast to more selective HE-systems. Drawing on Bourdieu’s cultural reproduction theory, we conducted a Reflexive Thematic Analysis of qualitative interviews with 31 ethnic-cultural minority students across SES backgrounds. Despite low costs and open admission, HE-access remains unequal. Secondary school pupils rely heavily on their social and cultural capital to navigate study choices. While parental expectations are high, informational and emotional support varies with SES, underscoring the crucial role of secondary school teachers as linking social capital in supporting HE pathways. The findings suggest that removing formal barriers is insufficient for achieving equity; informal and systemic inequalities continue to shape educational trajectories, calling for broader interventions to address these hidden dimensions of HE-access in open systems.