Higher Education Socioeconomic Index and the socioeconomic composition of student population in public and private higher education institutions

This paper discusses a preliminary study on the socioeconomic composition of student population in higher education institutions in Malaysia using the Higher Education Socio-Economic Index (HESEI). The HESEI was developed to capture a student´s academic ‘advantage’ or ‘disadvantage’ based on a set of socio-economic variables, which would then be used to classify students into various socioeconomic status (SES) groups. The findings revealed that there was not much difference between the public and private institutions with regard to its student composition by the SES. As public institutions are heavily subsidized by taxpayers, a more equitable proportion should consist of more students from the lower SES groups. The HESEI could provide an alternative way in identifying the disadvantaged group and would contribute significantly in widening access to higher education for those previously marginalized by the meritorious system.