University admission requirements and achievement levels at the time of secondary school graduation are compared for five countries: the United States, the Soviet Union, France, Japan, and West Germany. Emphasis is placed upon the structural and cultural differences in the educational systems of these countries. In addition to college admission requirements for each country, attention is directed to high school graduation requirements in mathematics, science, and foreign languages. Included are case studies of high school exit examinations. An important difference between the United States and the other four countries is the greater accessibility of secondary schools and colleges in the United States. In contrast to the United States, the other four industrialized countries view education as having the function of awakening the student's sense of participation in, and relationship to, a national community and national tradition. The Soviet Union, France, and Japan have highly centralized educational systems in which important decisions are made at the national level. Only West Germany has a mixed regional and state central system. In the other four countries, access to higher education is controlled by national examinations that are based on national academic standards. Numerous tables and a four-page bibliography conclude the document. (SW)