Simulating University Application Data for Fair Matchings

Meirav Segal, Anne-Marie George, Christos Dimitrakakis

Abstract: This paper describes the design of a simulator (work in progress), that is based on Norwegian university admissions and exam data. It generates a realistic population of applicants to university programs, their preferences and study outcomes if they were admitted to the different study programs. This simulator is a versatile tool and can be used to analyse the current admission policy for Norwegian universities in terms of many fairness criteria that, e.g., take into account student preferences, gender balance, university preferences and study outcomes. More generally, it creates a benchmark for testing matching algorithms and fairness notions without revealing sensitive data.