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The proposed research study examines the ways in which higher education access is enabled for students coming from traditionally disenfranchised populations—along class and caste dimensions, through identity and community-based preparatory institutions. Despite their significance in India's higher education sector, preparatory institutes have received little academic attention. While they can exacerbate social inequalities by favouring resource-rich students, certain community and identity-based preparatory spaces facilitate access for historically oppressed students. The study explores student and stakeholder experiences in such spaces using qualitative methods, aiming to understand their role in students' educational journeys, daily practices, and identity negotiations within expanding higher education systems.