Baku — September 8, 2025
In Azerbaijan, the future of higher education is increasingly tied to a question long debated in Europe and the United States: should universities make admission easier but graduation harder?
Education expert Rasim Hasanzade told AzEdu.az that this model could raise the quality of degrees by shifting the focus away from restrictive entrance scores and onto academic performance, professional training, and research outcomes.
“High admission scores or large intakes of students cannot be considered a measure of quality,” Hasanzade said.
“What matters is whether graduates can find jobs in their field. Universities should design programs that match the needs of the labor market and prepare students for professional life.”
International experience supports the concept. In many European and American universities, admission is comparatively accessible, but students face rigorous academic standards. Those unable to meet the requirements are often dismissed before completing their studies. Advocates argue that this competitive pressure encourages responsibility, resilience, and continuous learning.
In Azerbaijan, however, challenges remain. Hasanzade cautions that if teaching quality is low, infrastructure underdeveloped, or faculty skills lacking, simply making graduation more difficult risks turning into empty formality rather than a genuine quality filter.
“The goal should not be to artificially reduce the number of graduates,” he said.
“It must be about creating objective, transparent systems to evaluate knowledge and skills. Easy entry and tough graduation can work — but only if universities strengthen their curricula, assessment methods, and internal quality mechanisms.”
The debate reflects a broader shift in how education systems are judged. For decades, Azerbaijan has emphasized high entrance exam scores as a badge of excellence. But as the economy diversifies and employers demand practical skills, policymakers are now asking whether academic success should be measured less by how students get in — and more by how well they are prepared to get out.
