Softening the binary divide: sorting and outcomes in the multi-pathway Swiss tertiary system

Status

Under review, with Benedetto Lepori.

Summary

A tracked system of higher education gives employers a clear signal, but it also sorts students by social origin. European countries have handled this dilemma in different ways. Switzerland kept research universities and universities of applied sciences distinct and built regulated bridges between them. We ask three questions. Do these bridges reduce sorting by social origin? On which labour-market outcomes do pathways differ? Do the answers depend on the field of study? We pool four cohorts of the Swiss Graduate Survey (2012 to 2018), which observes graduates one and five years after graduation. We classify graduates into eight pathways by degree type, sector and prior apprenticeship. We then compare the pathways on social origin, income and job quality.