Abstract
Access to higher education remains severely restricted throughout the developing world. Even though higher-education enrollments have tripled and even quadrupled in some regions, the gross enrollment ratio for the developing world population ages 20 to 24 is still half or even less than that of comparable participation rates in North America and Europe. From sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia and Latin America, poverty, gender, race, ethnicity, and rural origins all determine unequal access to education.