Vallet-Giannini, F. (2024). Ranking on Parcoursup: Analysis of Gaps and Link to Success. e-JIREF, 10(3), 27-48. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.48782/e-jiref-10-3-27
In France, under the “Orientation and Success of Students” (ORE) law passed in 2018, a new platform for university admissions, Parcoursup, was introduced. It asks programs, including non-selective ones, to rank all the applications they receive. The criteria used often follow a meritocratic logic based on academic performance. Subsequently, Parcoursup adjusts this ranking by considering social and geographical quotas. This research aims to assess the rank discrepancies between the ranking done by the programs and the final call order on Parcoursup. Additionally, the study investigates the potential link between these rankings and students’ success in their first year of university. The analysis is based on a sample of approximately 18,000 Parcoursup applications for 2021, as well as around 1,700 new high school graduates enrolled in the first year of university in five competitive programs at a French university. By analyzing ranks in quartiles, the study finds varying differences between the initial ranking and the final call order across programs, sometimes compensated by candidates’ decisions to accept or reject the admission offer. Ultimately, the final call order shows no statistical link to academic success in the first year of university, unlike the initial ranking, even when considering students’ socio-demographic and academic characteristics.