The horizontal stratification of the Catalonian university system: the role of the private university

ABSTRACT The present paper explores the role the private university plays in the horizontal stratification of the university system in Catalonia, a context where, like in the rest of Spain, there has been little tradition of private universities but there has been a strong expansion in recent years. From a sample of 807 students who have accessed university and who we have been following since the last year of compulsory secondary education, we measure the importance attributed to two horizontal stratification criteria, the degree programme and whether the university is private. We then explore which socio-demographic and academic variables can explain the different assessments students make of the private university, differentiated by fields of study. The results show that in the Catalan university system, the degree programmes are more important than university ownership. Furthermore, students from higher sociocultural backgrounds and those with better marks do not value the prestige of the private university highly, except in the area of the social sciences and, to a small degree, the sciences. Thus, there has been a slight advance in the private university within the context of the university field in recent years, showing a weak capacity to generate horizontal stratification.