Once a year, students at the University of Amsterdam can apply for an exchange program from a range of 350 partner universities worldwide. Last week, it was time for this year’s big reveal and to discover who was lucky enough to receive an offer. The university recently decided to implement a new exchange application procedure, in which entered students are randomly assigned to destinations through a draw. Such a lottery of chance has stirred strong emotions among the university’s students, leaving many disappointed, confused, and unmotivated by the new system. Is it fair for a university to subject their student’s fate to the luck of the draw, or should students be entitled to an application assessment based on their academic skills and credentials?
