This chapter provides an overview of the admissions process, the admissions materials requested and how they are reviewed, and how success of the admissions process is measured. It also discusses the need for transparency during the admissions process. Examples from across a variety of world regions are presented to illustrate various admissions models.

The foreword provides the context for the rationale and need for the book.

Open admission approaches offer a mechanism to reduce barriers for students whose backgrounds are disadvantaged or underprivileged. Institutions with open admissions provide higher education opportunities to many types of students including those who need or wish to reduce the costs of a more selective four-year institution, those who are seeking vocational or technical education, those who may need further academic preparation, and those who do not qualify for admissions to other, more competitive institutions. This chapter discusses the issues surrounding the open admissions model, including the benefits and challenges of implementing such a model. Avenues for future research and applications of an open admissions model are also discussed.

This chapter proposes the use of a mathematical approach that helps support the access and diversity goals of higher education institutions while still maintaining academic standards. This approach, called constrained optimization, allows both academic requirements and other factors – race/ethnicity, income level, social status, geographic region, educational background – to be considered during the admissions process. While diversity efforts vary by country and institution, constrained optimization seeks to improve higher education access for particular groups of students. As such, this may be a useful approach for ensuring that the multiple objectives of the admissions process of any country are achieved.

Promoting student access in higher education institutions in South Africa remains a challenge given the limitations and resources that institutions face. The chapter presents a brief history of schooling in South Africa, describes the transition towards fair and equal higher education admissions, and details the policies, practices, and criteria associated with admissions. A discussion of the National Benchmark Tests is also provided. Finally, the chapter discusses issues related to ensuring access, success, and sustainability of the higher education system in South Africa.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are key strengths of higher education institutions and are fundamental to achieving excellence in learning, teaching, and research. This chapter focuses on cross-cultural and global competencies and how they contribute to a more inclusive and diverse campus. The chapter provides a discussion of Indigenous Canadian students and how culturally inclusive approaches to admissions contributes to decolonizing practices in higher education. It also provides a summary on the significant growth and demand of international student mobility to Canadian universities, the need for Canadian students to gain cross-culturalcompetence by studying abroad, and the policies and practices that could be used to emphasize cross-cultural and global competencies for learners.

Different principles guide how students are selected when there is competition in college admissions. A merit based approach is most common: If there is competition, the candidate with the best qualifications, or merits, "wins." The way merit is defined and measured is a complicated matter that has to do with validity and views of fairness.Systems where desirable positions are promoted based on merit are sometimes called meritocratic, but this term can be interpreted in both positive and negative sense. This chapter describes and discusses principles for allocation of study places where individuals are promoted or selected on the basis of their merits; challenges of such models; and consequences for individuals, higher education institutions, and society at large.

This chapter provides an overview of changes in the higher education environment that inform admissions and placement decisions. Various factors that must be considered when reconceptualizing current admission and placement practices are discussed. An expanded assessment framework based on two models – the multilevel design model and the complementarity model – are described. These models aim to better support diverse students’ learning by improving the connection between assessments and instruction once students are admitted to higher education institutions. Finally, the contributions of technological advancements, measurement of noncognitive skills, and innovations in task design are described.