Interventions at further and higher education programmes to help students break the mould

In spite of free and equal access to school and education, the chance of completing further and higher education programmes in Denmark is still related to the educational level of parents. This applies in particular to students at universities; even for young people who have done well in upper secondary school. Therefore, the Danish National Centre for Social Research has examined experience with interventions abroad to help students break the mould; primarily in the US. The Danish National Centre for Social Research has selected 12 examples, which it is hoped will encourage trials of interventions that can potentially contribute to promoting social mobility at Danish further and higher education institutions. Most of the examples selected for the survey are about helping young people from homes not accustomed to education to apply for and enrol on a further and higher education programme. Other studies look at retention and the risk of dropping out. Experience from abroad indicates that targeted interventions may help more young people from homes not accustomed to education to successfully complete further and higher education programmes. Effective interventions often begin early, i.e. before the student is enrolled, and they involve both academic and social support in addition to creating the expectation that further education is "what you do". The research survey was commissioned and financed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.