Higher Education Opportunities of Elite Family Students in Economic and Cultural Highlands of a Confucian Heritage Society

This study focuses on the (in)equality of higher education in mainland China by exploring whether students from elite families in culturally/educationally and economically more developed regions have significant advantages in accessing (elite) higher education institutions. It considers how regional features related to educational resources and the social class structure influence their (elite) higher education opportunities. It further discusses how an examination-based system in a Confucian heritage society limits the advantage of the elite class. Data analysis reveals that their advantages may be insignificant while the understanding of the (in)equality of higher education opportunities in China may need to be revised.