Providing a pathway from little-known community colleges to highly acclaimed universities, America's credit transfer system is internationally admired for driving social mobility and offering a vital ‘second chance’ for late bloomers. But opaque and complex university rules are undermining one of US higher education’s great achievements, argue Lauren Schudde and Huriya Jabbar.

A merit-based admissions lottery and strict caps on how many private school pupils go to Russell Group universities are necessary for a more egalitarian society, argue Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman