The effect of household income on university enrolment: A systematic literature review

Boniface  Naaly; Elias Ouko Alexander

doi:10.51867/ajernet.7.3.40

Authors

Boniface Naaly Department of Management Studies, Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA), Tanga Campus, P.O. Box 1077, Tanga, Tanzania https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6203-7318
Elias Ouko Alexander Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Private Bag 16 Palapye, Botswana https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1006-9983

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.3.40

Keywords:

Bibliometric Analysis, Educational Inequality, Household Income, Higher Education Access, Socioeconomic Status, Systematic Literature Review, University Enrolment

Abstract

Household income remains one of the strongest predictors of university enrolment worldwide, yet evidence on the mechanisms through which income shapes enrolment decisions remains fragmented across disciplinary and methodological traditions. This study systematically reviews the literature on household income and university enrolment to identify research trends, underlying mechanisms, contextual moderators, and future research priorities. A PRISMA 2020 guided systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis were conducted using 625 peer reviewed articles indexed in Scopus and published between 1968 and 2025. Bibliometric mapping and thematic analysis were performed using the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny package. The findings reveal a substantial growth in research after 2010, with 83.7% of publications appearing during the last fifteen years. The literature is heavily concentrated in high income countries, particularly the United States, while evidence from Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America remains limited. Quantitative and longitudinal approaches dominate the field. Academic preparation and achievement emerged as the most frequently reported mechanism linking household income to university enrolment. Race/ethnicity, gender, and geographic location were identified as the principal moderators of the income–enrolment relationship, while first generation student status remains underexplored. The review also highlights significant gaps in causal inference research and the limited geographic diversity of existing evidence. The study concludes that university enrolment inequalities are shaped by both financial and non-financial processes, supporting an integrated perspective that combines Human Capital Theory and Social Stratification Theory. Future research should prioritize causal methodologies, underrepresented regions, and the interaction of multiple mechanisms across diverse educational contexts.

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