A Systematic Review of Students' Meritocratic Beliefs in Universities in a Global Context

This chapter examines the nature and extent of research on students’ meritocratic values in higher education (HE) across different national contexts. It aims to elevate meritocracy from a background principle in educational systems to a core theoretical issue in comparative education. An extensive and systematic search across major databases (2000–2025) identified 5,707 potentially eligible papers. After screening, 20 empirical studies were deemed suitable for narrative synthesis, focusing on students’ experiences and reactions. The reviewed literature focused on university destinations in major English-speaking countries (such as the United States and the United Kingdom), China, and a diverse range of other international HE contexts. Overall, the preliminary findings are that the discussions of meritocracy in HE rely more on the Global North. An increasing number of studies have begun to investigate meritocratic discourses in regions beyond Europe, including China and various African countries. Across diverse national contexts, the educational promise of upper social mobility is facing challenges worldwide, uncovering the contradiction between the institutional narrative of ‘fair competition’ and the inequality experienced by students in practice. From a theoretical perspective, the research on meritocracy in HE primarily draws on sociological theories of social class. Still, the lens through which students emotionally experience meritocratic discourse at university warrants attention. Therefore, this review calls for more geographically diverse and intersectional studies to better understand how individuals from diverse backgrounds experience and respond to meritocratic discourse across a global landscape.