Higher Education Access Policies and Issues in Georgia before and after the Introduction of Unified National Entrance Examinations in 2005

The paper discusses the implications of Unified National Entrance Examinations (UNEEs) for higher education access in Georgia. Increased participation of ethnic minorities and low-SES students in higher education could be regarded as one of the major achievements of the UNEEs. More transparency and decreased corruption in higher education access procedures might be regarded as additional assets of the new policy. However, due to its early stage of implementation, the entrance policy needs further study and improvement. The income-contingent loan system is one of the major challenges facing the country. It is not well developed and deprives many low-SES families of the possibilities to cover tuition with study loans. Besides, teacher preparation for the new-type of examinations is another problem to be tackled. The paper views higher education access in historical perspective, views policies in sociocultural context and associates different types of corrupt practices with different periods. The paper also discusses the role of entrance examinations in fostering social cohesion through enhanced trust.