Analysis on access to the Spanish university system and its implications on the Medicine Degree

Abstract

The university entrance exam should be a mechanism to guarantee equal opportunities for access to higher education. The purpose of this article is to focus on the implications of the university entrance exam in the Spanish context. This analysis will also focus on the reality of the Bachelor's Degree in Medicine, one of the most in-demand degrees with a high cut-off mark, and whose graduates must once again take a selective exam to gain access to the status of Internal Medical Resident (MIR). To do this, we will start by analysing the entry point to the system, i.e. access to university studies, and we will analyse with data what is happening in the Spanish context and by Autonomous Community, with cut-off marks, new enrolments and graduates, as well as the response of the National Health System to take in graduates from the university system. In order to develop this work, a longitudinal descriptive approach has been carried out for each of the objectives set, based on the analysis of official documents (documentary analysis technique). The results show that there is great heterogeneity in university entrance qualifications between the different Autonomous Regions, which has a negative effect on equality of opportunities. On the other hand, the average cut-off mark for the Bachelor's Degree in Medicine increases significantly year after year, and on occasions is close to the maximum. If this trend continues, the system will become saturated. Finally, with regard to the MIR entrance exam, the number of places on offer satisfies the university system, but does not provide a response to the general situation.

Keywords: entrance exam, university, degree in medicine, cut-off mark, Internal Medical Resident.