10x the population should mean 10x the rejected people, but it should also mean 10x the accepted and 10x the graduated, right? I don't know where you got that.

10x the population should mean 10x the rejected people, but it should also mean 10x the accepted and 10x the graduated, right? I don't know where you got that. The number of seats in "elite" or even "good enough" universities is not a linear function of the national population. In populous but poor countries like China and India and Bangladesh, there is much less educational opportunity than there are smart people.