Access to Higher Education: the Adult Learners Perspective

Issues concerning access to higher education are seen diefrently in various European education systems. In some of them, the paths leading to the desired college or universi can be wide, in others dicfiult to reach or very bumpy. Learners of schools for adults represent a particular group vulnerable to dicfiulties in accessing higher education. F these learners, the accomplishment of the entrance examination requirements is not alw equally achievable as for youth schools students. iThs paper presents the comparison of various approaches to the issue of access to higher education for adult learners in Europ countries. In particular, it indicates two systems of learners' skills evaluation, similar i of organization but opposite in obtained results. eTh rfist one is Finnish and the second one Polish Matriculation Examination system, regarded as the Entrance Exams to universi level education. Both systems are presented from the perspective of learners of schools adults, mostly young people who have dropeed out of the youth system. eTh analyses take into account secondary data from examination sessions 2015-2018, provided by the Polish Central Examination Board and the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board. eTh main goal of this paper is to indicate the dicfiulties faced by learners of upper secondary schoo for adults, especially in Poland. eTh dicfiulties causing that door to higher education are closed in front of these learners.