In 2007, 9,409 young people who registered to sit the University Access Exams in the A.C. of the Basque Country, according to Eustat data. The exam was passed by a total of 8,817 young people, meaning a 94% pass rate, with an average mark of 6.7. Compared to the average for the rest of the State (81%), the percentage of passes was 13 percentage points higher.

Analysing the figures according to sex, it can be seen that 58% of candidates were girls and that the percentage of female passes (96%) was five points higher than the male one.

As for the access exams for people aged over 25, 449 students sat the exams and 60% passed.

In the June sitting, 7,627 students were registered and 97% passed the exams, while in the July sitting 1,772 were registered and 82% passed. In both sittings, girls led the percentage of passes, although the difference was most marked in the July sitting, reaching a 10 point difference in their favour.

As regards the type of administration of their educational institution, 5,091 candidates sitting the exams were from private centres, with 4,259 students passing (95%), while 4,318 students came from public centres, of which 3,368 passed the access exams, meaning 93%.

Table 1.- Number of students registered and passes per sitting. 2007

Source: EUSTAT

Although the differences were very small, Álava was the province at the top of the table as regards the percentage of passes in these University access exams (96%). It was followed very closely by Gipuzkoa, with 95% and last in the ranking came Bizkaia, with 93%.

By linguistic model, the percentage of model D students who passed the university access exams (95%) was higher than those from model A, with 92%. It is also worth noting that students who were taught under model D, carried out the University Access Exams in the Basque language.

While half the male students chose the Scientific-Technical option, the female ones opted for Social and Health Sciences

Turning to the options chosen, almost all students (9,409) were registered for a sole option with only 36 students choosing combined options, which is to say, sitting the exams for more than one option, having chosen one or more optional subject that was linked to other options.

Graph 1.- Students registered according to sex distributed by option chosen. 2007

Source: Eustat

The options chosen by the majority of the students in the A.C. of the Basque Country were, firstly Scientific-Technical studies with 35%, followed by Social Sciences (29%) and Health Sciences with a percentage of 26% out of the total number of registrations. On the other hand, the least popular options were: Humanities (8%), Arts (2%) and Combined Options (0.4%).

Preferences as regards the option chosen differed according to sex. Half of the boys registered for the Scientific-Technical option, whereas girls opted more for Social and Health Sciences.