Aptitude Test ( hogskoleprovet). A minimum of one third of the seats are of-
fered to the highest ranked in this category, conditional on fulfilling the general
admission requirement. Tertiary education is free of charge and students re-
ceive financial support of about €780 a month where one third is a grant and
the rest is a loan.
Komvux is foremost intended for individuals aged at least 20 but younger
persons are accepted if seats are available. Individuals with only prior compul-
sory school or a two-year upper secondary school can enrol at komvux to im-
prove their formal qualifications, possibly also to later continue at university.
Persons with a three-year upper secondary education may also enrol, e.g. in or-
der to take the optional fourth year of technical education. Much more com-
mon, however, is that they either slightly re-direct their education or take one
or more subjects required for eligibility to university. From the autumn of
1997, it also became allowed to study at komvux to improve grades even if
they were passed, and so enhance one’s competitive position for admittance to
university studies. Komvux actually encompasses studies at three different
levels, although the majority, 85-90 per cent, participate at upper secondary
level. Of the remainder, about two thirds take courses at compulsory level
while the other third take supplementary courses (pabyggnadsutbildning)
which are vocational and at post secondary level. Since 1997, there are also so-
called introductory courses, intended for adults who are reluctant to re-start
schooling.
3 Related literature
The human capital model introduced by Becker (1964) predicts that an individ-
ual will participate in education if the present value of its expected benefits mi-
nus its expected costs is greater than zero. Postponing education in this frame-
work would only shorten the post-education period of assumed higher wages
and thereby reduce the beneficial effects. To explain the occurrence of adult
education, some factor must be allowed to vary over time so the expected value
IFAU - Does adult education at upper secondary level influence annual wage earnings?