Different principles guide how students are selected when there is competition in college admissions. A merit based approach is most common: If there is competition, the candidate with the best qualifications, or merits, "wins." The way merit is defined and measured is a complicated matter that has to do with validity and views of fairness.Systems where desirable positions are promoted based on merit are sometimes called meritocratic, but this term can be interpreted in both positive and negative sense. This chapter describes and discusses principles for allocation of study places where individuals are promoted or selected on the basis of their merits; challenges of such models; and consequences for individuals, higher education institutions, and society at large.

The educational system in the Republic of Cyprus is highly centralized. The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for enforcing education laws and the preparation of new legislation relative to public and private education at all levels; formulating curriculum and determining textbooks for all subjects in grades K–12, and organizing the examinations for higher education admissions. The University Entrance Examinations, also referred to as the Pancyprian Examinations, are used as the sole criterion for entry into the public universities in Cyprus. This chapter summarizes the content covered by the examinations, the test development process, and the psychometric properties of the examinations.

This chapter describes noncognitive assessments that measure skills and traits such as leadership, moral character, empathy, social consciousness, and civic responsibility that may be used in admissions decisions. The traditional measures of noncognitive factors, such as letters of recommendation, as well as more modern tools such as situational judgment tests and biodata, are described, and existing research, possible sources of bias, and concerns related to their use reviewed. Recommendations for using practice for the various assessments are discussed.

In this chapter, we discuss the rationale, practice, evidence, and effects of character-based college admissions from both a US and a European perspective. With the increasing globalization, it is important to discuss and evaluate recent developments with respect to selective college admissions. This chapter discusses the rationale for implementing character-based admission criteria in admission testing, admission practices in several European countries, the empirical evidence of the validity and fairness of character-based admission tools, and how academic- and character-based admission criteria are combined.

Engaging the work of Emmanuel Levinas this chapter introduces the importane of a Liberal Management Education to the renovation of ethics education both in business schools and in the univeristy, an argument that will be extend in a later chapter

This chapter presents a case study on Singapore Management University and its ambitious attempts to create a Liberal Management Education. It examines a key course, called the Capstone, and its curriculum. We also explore the future of Liberal Management Education at SMU and include and in depth interview with the current President of the university, Dr. Lily Kong.

For many countries, ensuring a well-educated population is a top priority. Higher levels of education result in benefits to both individuals and society at large. College admissions generally reflect societal values of a country. The underlying philosophy regarding who should be allowed to go to college or university, the criteria believed to be importantin determining which applicants get in and which do not, and how fairness and diversity are perceived often contribute to the shape of admissions procedures. The chapters in this section detail country-specific higher education admissions practices for a sample of countries and address a number of common themes such as access to college, diversity and fairness, and the validity of decision-making criteria.

This chapter reviews major revisions of admissions testing in Vietnam. It begins by providing a brief history of higher education and then summarizes some more recent changes in higher education. The chapter describes the various reforms related to admissions testing and the development of a unified testing system, including challenges and concerns about the system. The chapter ends with some policy recommendations for improving admissions testing in Vietnam.

We argue in this chapter that the rise of social movements and the emergence of more popular forms of management, including the appeal of the management guru should be linked. In reading these histories together, especially around the environmental movement and the work of Peter Drucker we find resources for building our Liberal Management Education.

In this chapter, the relationship between academic and workforce skills is explored. The ultimate goal of academic preparation is to prepare individuals to succeed in the workforce, and therefore more than just academic knowledge is required. Several factors that research has shown helps individuals succeed in higher education and in the workforce are discussed. These factors are classified into a framework called the ACT® Holistic Framework which covers four independent but highly related domains: core academic skills; cross-cutting capabilities; behavioral skills; and education and career navigation. Finally, the chapter describes environmental and technological changes that will require higher education institutions to consider more than the traditional characteristics of prospective students.

This chapter provides an overview of changes in the higher education environment that inform admissions and placement decisions. Various factors that must be considered when reconceptualizing current admission and placement practices are discussed. An expanded assessment framework based on two models – the multilevel design model and the complementarity model – are described. These models aim to better support diverse students’ learning by improving the connection between assessments and instruction once students are admitted to higher education institutions. Finally, the contributions of technological advancements, measurement of noncognitive skills, and innovations in task design are described.

This chapter describes academic assessments that measure general or subject-specific skills that are used around the world. Two types of assessments are discussed: exit exams used when leaving an institution and entrance exams required for admittance to an institution. General characteristics of the tests, concerns, and psychometric challenges for their use are summarized. Detailed examples ofassessments used in specific countries are given.