Social Class, Human Capital, and Enrollment in STEM Subjects at Prestigious Universities: The Case of England

Abstract

Scholars have shown that low socioeconomic status (SES) students are less likely to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects and to attend prestigious universities. However, they have overlooked the intersection between subject choice (STEM or non-STEM) and institutional prestige. Analyzing data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, we found that when students from poorer neighborhoods or whose parents did not have a university degree studied STEM, they were more likely to attend nonprestigious institutions. Even when students from poorer neighborhoods were able to enroll prestigious universities, they were less likely to study STEM subjects than their peers. We discussed policy implications.