ABSTRACT
In the academic and policy arenas, access has come to be understood as enrolling larger percentages of the population who desire higher education. Equity requires that these opportunities are equally available to all citizens. Most nations have succeeded in expanding the enrollment of the traditional age cohort, but it has become increasingly apparent that this trend does not necessarily include all segments of the population. Moreover, equity does not result naturally from greater access; new kinds of interventions are required to address the underlying factors that determine who enrolls and who persists until graduation. Governments and higher education institutions are beginning to address the challenges of recruiting, selecting, and supporting students across a broader spectrum of the age cohort, focusing on students from underrepresented groups. This growing diversity obliges universities to confront new challenges to ensure that most (if not all) of these new students complete their program of study. The public concern with equity reflects the growing expectation that universities must assume a larger role in civil society that reaches beyond the institution itself.
