Floating Foundations of Higher Education Policy Jeroen Huisman, Frans Kaiser and Hans Vossensteyn, University of Twente Introduction In many higher education policy documents an important place is reserved for the level of (or rate of) participation. This pre-occupation has two main causes. The first one is rather straightforward: the more students who enrol in higher education, the more – public – resources have to be devoted to higher education. High participation rates can therefore be a burden for the governmental budget (National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, 1997). The second reason for this pre-occupation is based on the expectation that a high level of participation will lead to a highly skilled labour force, which often is related to the competitive power of national economies. This expectation has become particularly important since the late 1970s (Teichler, 1989). Since participation has become one of the major topics of national higher education policies, governments have developed many strategies either to increase or – if necessary – to control participation rates. The major steering instruments of governments referred to in literature and policy documents concern selection, diversity and financial incentives for students (Fulton, 1989; Kaiser and De Weert, 1994). Diversity policies aim at enlarging the range of choices available for students. As Stadtman (1980) argued, diversity in that respect makes higher education available to virtually everyone. Admission policies aim at regulating enrolment, in terms of the qualifications required, the capacity of institutions and fulfilling the needs of the labour market. As Fulton and Elwood (1989) stated, selection procedures concern the features that determine the feasibility of widening access. Finally, limiting the financial barriers which may prevent people from entering higher education is regarded as an instrument to increase the affordability of higher education. Unequal access to the means of financing a college education is still regarded as Higher Education Quarterly, 0951–5224 Volume 54, No. 3, July 2000, pp 217–238  Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 2000, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.