Admission to selective schools, alphabetically

One's position in an alphabetically sorted list may be important in determining access to over-subscribed public services. Motivated by anecdotal evidence, we investigate the importance of the position in the alphabet of Czech students for their admission chances into over-subscribed schools. Empirical evidence based on the population of students graduating from secondary schools and applying to universities is consistent with the use of alphabet in admission procedures at both secondary and tertiary level, implying potential inefficiency in the matching of students with universities.