Abstract :
[en] This article investigates to what extent scholarships are unequally
distributed among students in Germany and how these inequalities
can be explained. Following sociological theory, the article argues that
elites seek qualitative ways of distinguishing themselves in a mass
higher education system. Using student surveys, we demonstrate
that class effects cannot merely be explained with reference to
class differences in academic achievement but that higher classes
have better access to scholarships independent of earlier school
performance. Class differences were particularly persistent when
the intermediate classes were compared with higher classes with
more education. These findings illustrate that social classes have
different strategies when it comes to participating in higher education
and suggest that information about and access to scholarships is
important in gaining a class advantage.
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