Inequality of opportunity in selection procedures limits diversity in higher education: An intersectional study of Dutch selective higher education programs

Table 1. Information on clusters of study programs. Cluster HBO program HBOs using selection Average acceptance rates 2019 Average acceptance rate 2020 SH1 Allied Medical Care 3 52.9% (1028/1942) 52.2% (994/1904) Nursing 1 Midwifery 3 SH2 Dental Hygiene 4 36.5% (539/1477) 38.6% (529/1372) Denturism 1 (2020) Optometry 1 SH3 Biology and Medical Laboratory Research 2 (2019), 1 (2020) 72.6% (864/1190) 64.6% (674/1044) Forensic Science 2 Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy 1 SH4 Physiotherapy 6 78.5% (2263/2881) 74.1% (2214/2987) Psychomotoric Therapy/Psychomotricity 1 Sport Studies 1 SH5 Creative Media and Game Technologies 1 68.9% (1081/1570) 70.0% (996/1422) Fashion & Textile Technologies 1 Industrial Design Engineering 1 Art and Economics 1 (2020) SH6 Applied Psychology 4 63.8% (2041/3199) 54.5% (1719/3157) Applied Biology 1 Skin Therapy 2 Cluster University program Universities using selection SU1 Medicine 8 45.4% (2986/6571) 43.0% (2969/6912) SU2 Dentistry 4 41.6% (717/1725) 38.1% (643/1689) Pharmacy 1 SU3 Psychobiology 1 85.1% (4631/5439) 75.8% (6845/9030) Psychology 6 (2019), 9 (2020) SU4 Biomedical Sciences 4 57.4% (1391/2425) 48.1% (1068/2219) Biomedical Engineering 1 (2019) Clinical Technology 2 SU5 Biology 1 59.3% (902/1521) 46.9% (555/1184) Biotechnology 1 Nutrition and Health 1 Veterinary Medicine 1 Nanobiology 1 SU6 Artificial Intelligence 4 81.1% (1421/1753) 86.2% (1469/1704) Industrial Design 2 SU7 Architecture, Urbanism & Building Sciences 2 74.5% (2838/3810) 68.9% (2411/3498)

Mechanical Engineering 1 Aerospace Engineering 1 Computer Science & Engineering 2 Global Sustainability Science 1 SU8 Business Administration 1 (2019) 83.0% (3100/3737) 78.5% (2673/3406) International Business 2 International Business Administration 1 Tax Law 1 Industrial Engineering & Management Science 1 SU9 International Relations and International Organization 1 66.1% (1609/2436) 60.0% (1602/2672) Political Science 1 Criminology 3 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292805.t001 PLOS ONE Inequality of opportunity in Dutch selection procedures limits diversity in higher education PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292805 October 13, 2023 6 / 24