What are the barriers to higher education? How can universities evolve admissions policies to encourage fairer access for all? Our Deputy Secretary-General, Mabel Woo, joined a panel of sector experts at the Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit to dig into these and more issues around access to learning beyond high school.

Four ways to shift the balance to greater equity

Mabel set out four areas where investment, collaboration, and focus can open doors for students historically marginalized by traditional systems.

First, universities must embrace diversity. To welcome a broader student body, they need to have equity-led, responsive environments that include and welcome people of all gender identities, cultures, and backgrounds.  

They should also take a holistic approach that looks beyond academic performance. Universities shape future generations, giving them the tools for lifelong learning. That means, starting from the admissions process, we need to look for qualities such as resilience and nurture creativity and flexible thinking skills.

Money can be a major barrier—one partnerships and scholarships can remove. Working with governments, non-profits, and other universities can take affordability out of the equation. Take BRAC University: every year it awards nearly US$1m in scholarships to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. And it’s ranked 5th in the THE University Impact Rankings 2023.

Build flexible, student-centered learning experiences. When students can learn at their own pace it really levels the playing field: for different styles of learning, abilities, and balancing university with home and family commitments. Hybrid learning and platforms such as edX and Coursera offer flexibility—and encourage students to keep learning wherever they are.

Learning from progress in Macau

Professor Yonghua Song, rector of the University of Macau, joined the panel to share his perspective. In recent years, Macau’s efforts to improve the quality of higher education have paid off in high enrolment rates.

Professor Song described the more holistic approach to admissions that’s underpinned that. As well as widely-accessed public exams, the university accepts candidates from both local and international school principal recommendation schemes. And it offers global scholarships, attracting students from Portuguese-speaking countries (one of the region’s official languages).

Embracing online learning helps bring down barriers

Eklavya Bhave, head of Asia for Coursera, expanded on the ways that online learning platforms expand the student experience beyond the classroom.

Almost a third of Coursera’s users are in Asia, with the Phillippines user base growing fastest. Students are seeking out courses they can’t find at their own institutions. They’re drawing on the platform for career development and lifelong learning opportunities as they move from education to the workplace and beyond. Coursera works with major employers, industry partners, and governments to develop relevant learning and skills—and help build up local economies.

Past academic performance doesn’t help us predict a student’s potential

Mabel pointed to the work of Yidan Prize laureate Professor Carl Wieman. He talks about the limitations of admissions processes that look for the ‘cream of the crop’ based on academic achievement. But that’s not an accurate way to predict a student’s future capabilities. Whereas active, student-led educational experiences are key to unlocking their potential.

By thinking more broadly about what a higher education student looks like—and opening the doors to anyone who wants to learn—we create opportunities for learners to thrive. And that’s something we all benefit from.