The Procedural Access Framework (PAF): Explaining Hidden Barriers to Higher Education Funding Access

Open Science Framework (OSF) Project: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/BWGYS

The OSF project contains the associated open research project and serves as an additional preservation and collaboration record.

This paper develops the Procedural Access Framework (PAF), a conceptual framework explaining how procedural barriers affect access to higher education funding. Drawing on evidence from scholarship systems across multiple countries, it distinguishes funding availability from funding accessibility and identifies five procedural dimensions that shape whether eligible applicants successfully obtain financial support. The study synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature, government publications, international organizations, and policy reports to propose a new framework for understanding procedural inequality in higher education funding.