Scholarship Schemes in Cambodian Higher Education: Unpacking Why Lower-Income Students are Lagging Behind

Abstract Attempts to expand the availability of higher education frequently come with exorbitant expenses, heightening the gap between privileged and underprivileged students. Distributing scholarships to the higher education sub-sector is commonly seen as a viable means of promoting educational success, expanding accessibility, and addressing equity issues in higher education. Nevertheless, the problem of equity remains a long-lasting and unfair obstacle in Cambodia's higher education sub-sector, despite the presence of a national scholarship policy. This is based on the straightforward fact that there is no fundamental metric to evaluate the inclusion and equity of scholarship distribution. Moreover, the scholarship selection procedures may be inefficient, contrary to what policy documents indicate, resulting in students from lower-income households being left behind in the opportunities they were promised. Therefore, this study is the first ever attempt to profile Cambodian higher education scholarships from a socio-economic viewpoint that discusses how family background impacts the likelihood of students from low-income households accessing social investments, such as scholarships. All analyses point out that opportunities are heavily skewed toward students with better-off background, and therefore incorporating this understanding will help Cambodian universities better allocate scholarships to boost the country’s human capital and improve university representation from lower economically-secure communities.