Lottery to decide who goes abroad from University of Copenhagen — not everyone’s happy

When students from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) apply to go abroad under an exchange programme this coming November, it will no longer be their grade point average that determines whether they end up in their dream destination. For the first time, UCPH will allocate exchange placements by lottery.

This is confirmed by Rie Snekkerup, Deputy Director for Education at UCPH:

»We could see that on certain exchange agreements there were very high grade requirements. Study abroad should be an academic opportunity that is open to a wide range of students. It was never the intention that you had to get top grades to be able to go abroad,« she writes in a written response to questions from the University Post.

Popular universities like the University of Melbourne, University of Edinburgh, University of Bologna, and University of Madrid have been so popular that students with lower averages were effectively excluded. All that is about to change.

Students can still apply to up to five universities, but will now be entered into a lottery for placements.

Criticism: Lottery undermines academic standards

Not everyone is thrilled with the change however. Villum Graglia, a third-semester political science student at UCPH, recently wrote on the Danish news site Berlingske that the lottery undermines university principles of rewarding academic excellence and perseverance. Speaking to the University Post, he expands on his criticism:

»The university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn’t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.«

He acknowledges that grades don’t necessarily provide a complete picture of a student’s effort. But it is, nevertheless, the metric that the university uses itself:

The university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn’t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.

Villum Graglia, political science student

»When grades are no longer used to allocate the most coveted placements, the university undermines its own meritocratic practice,« says Villum Graglia.

Deputy Director Rie Snekkerup disagrees:

»The academic development that can come from an exchange should be accessible to everyone. Just like students can access courses at the university regardless of their grades, so we also want exchange placements to be an opportunity that is open to all.«

Grades still matter, however:

»We believe everyone should have access to the universities we have agreements with. Some partners require a minimum GPA of 7, so if you fall below that, you can’t apply. But we don’t aim for certain agreements to be reserved for specific groups — they should be for everyone,« writes the Deputy Director for Education.

Grades are not the same as diligence

Critics have also pointed out that the lottery system puts those who have worked hard for high grades on the same footing as those who have put in less effort.

Villum Graglia notes that an exchange stay at a prestigious top university can be a valuable addition to a student’s CV. And if demand exceeds supply, he argues, it makes sense to allocate places based on academic performance.

»Not everyone starts out from the same point in life — I realise that — but once we’re admitted to the country’s highest educational institution, we have to assume that we all have the same opportunities. And then it should be our academic achievements that count,« he says.

Rie Snekkerup doesn’t agree:

»I don’t believe a lower GPA is an indication that someone isn’t working hard. You can be focused and put in a huge effort and still not get top grades. It might also be different academic strengths or life circumstances that mean you can’t put in as many hours. Diligence and commitment don’t only show up in your grades.«

She adds that exchange can in fact be a significant academic boost:

»We see students develop academically during exchange, and many with lower GPAs flourish. In many places, there is continuous assessment, mid-term assignments, and attendance requirements — a teaching format that really suits some students,« she writes.

Preferences shift over time

Rie Snekkerup, can you understand that some students see the new system as unfair?

»I understand that viewpoint. We are used to grades functioning as a kind of currency. But I also hope people can see this in a broader perspective. Being on exchange opens up numerous opportunities to evolve academically and personally, and those should also be accessible to your fellow students.«

She adds that UCPH is not the only university adopting this approach. The University of Amsterdam has used a lottery system for three years. Utrecht University also uses it, and the University of Helsinki and ETH Zurich are switching to a lottery system at the same time as UCPH.

The system is being introduced as a pilot project and will initially run for a few years. UCPH will monitor applications and assess whether the new model affects patterns:

»Ten years ago, the US was extremely popular. Now, students primarily apply to universities in Europe. No matter how we allocate placements, we see shifts over time in where students want to go,« she writes.

This article was first written in Danish and published on 2 October. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.