Securing admission to higher education institutions often depends on the merits and academic ability of the students. Some argue that everyone should have equal opportunity to study in the university notwithstanding their knowledge and skills. I’m afraid I have to disagree with this argument and believe that admission should be merit-based.
To begin with, the most demanded courses often have limited seats, and therefore, all applicants cannot be admitted. This is not surprising because, unlike schools where all applicants are admitted, universities are for advanced and specialized learning. This leads to universities using certain selection criteria to qualify applicants such as academic qualifications and other skills to decide whether a student is eligible for admission. In doing this, universities can ensure only meritorious enter. For instance, in Kenya a recent survey has shown that less than 25% of those applying for medicine courses are able to secure a place for themselves.
Additionally, allowing all applicants to study in the university without proof of their ability might result in a lot of resources being wasted. The reason for this is, advanced level education is expensive costing up to a half a million Kenyan shilling in Kenya, for instance. If a student picks an area of study and is then unable to complete it because he/she finds it difficult, a lot of money which should have been used in other activities would have been wasted. For instance, a case study done in Kenyan universities has shown that nearly 30% of students admitted for medicine course end up dropping while others transfer to other courses midway their study due to lack of aptitude to be a doctor. This resulted to loss of resources and money.