Questioning China’s Preferential College Admission Policies: The Henan Case

Abstract

This paper provides a critical review of the effectiveness and appropriateness of preferential college admission policies in China. Due to a lack of transparency in the preferential-policymaking process, this analysis depends largely on indirect data from the national and provincial educational authorities, as well as data from the national census of 1990, 2000, and 2010. A case study on Henan Province suggests that China’s preferential college admission policies in its current form in Henan are ineffective and unreasonable for reducing the persisting urban-rural gap in college access, and have to be reformed to be genuinely committed to compensate for rural children’s disadvantage in gaining college admission. Moreover, this study highlights rural females’ double disadvantages in current policies.