Policy Argument Analysis of Student Assessment and Admission Policies: Problem Reframing and a Policy Proposal

The student assessment and admission system constitutes one of the most critical policy instruments in higher education, with ramifications extending far beyond the university matriculation process to shape the orientation of general education, the behavior of educational stakeholders, and the quality of national human capital. Despite successive reforms in recent decades, systemic challenges persist, underscoring an imperative to fundamentally rethink the underlying logic governing this system. Aiming to critically analyze the current assessment and admission model and propose a comprehensive framework for its reconfiguration, this paper adopts a policy argument analysis approach.Through the systematic evaluation of policy documents, extant literature, and international benchmarks, it dissects the competing arguments surrounding various alternative models.The findings demonstrate that resolving the current predicaments necessitates transcending piecemeal, incremental adjustments in favor of a coherent, multilevel, and competency-based paradigm. Such a model must effectively align the objectives of the general education system, the distinct prerequisites of higher education institutions, and the broader imperatives of educational governance.Accordingly, this study offers strategic policy implications for the systemic redesign of the student assessment and admission framework in Iran.