The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of some socio-economic factors (household income, parents’ education, and parents’ residential status such that of urban or rural) on higher education participation through the comparison of the socio-economic status of the students with the same status of the related population in Turkey. The data of the study were obtained through the administration of a questionnaire to 4910 first year university-level students at Cumhuriyet, Erciyes and Hacettepe universities and a thorough literature review. General results of the study are as follows: (1) Distribution of household income of Turkey and students’ annual disposable income by quintiles are similar and household income is not a direct factor on higher education participation. (2) Educational status of parents is a determining factor in higher education participation. (3) Students whose parents are graduates of higher levels of education and income are over-represented in the programs that are assumed to be prestigious and high income generating. (4) Higher education institutions serve to students coming from urban areas to a great extent (92%).

Keywords: Higher education, access, participation, socio-economic status, Turkey