POSTGRADUATE ADMISSION POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN PAKISTAN; ADMISSION COMMITTEES’ PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The issue of merit, diversity and meaning associated with postgraduate admissions criteria have received considerable attention from sociologists of education, especially in the global north. The phenomenon, however, has received scant academic attention in Pakistan. This study examined the existing policies and practices of postgraduate admissions in Pakistan. The key objective was to unpack how admission committees’ values the academic record, test scores and personal characteristics of the candidates during admission processes in context of two research intensive universities. The data was collected through in-depth qualitative interviews from senior faculty members having an extensive experience as part of admission committees. The respondents were selected with the help of purposive sampling technique. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis technique. Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, culture capital, Collins’ concept of credentialism and Joseph Bessette’s theory of deliberative democracy were engaged for the informed analysis. The study unpacked explicit and implicit contradictions in postgraduate admission practices and policies. The findings revealed that, the committees make certain compromises on the academic and personal qualities of the candidates during admission processes which in turn has affected the standards of postgraduate education in Pakistan.