O Brother, Where Start Thou? Sibling-Spillovers in College Enrollment

Joshua Goodman (), Michael Hurwitz, Christine Mulhern and Jonathan Smith

No 7974, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: We study within-family spillovers in college enrollment to show college-going behavior is transmissible between peers. Because siblings’ test scores are weakly correlated, we exploit college-specific admissions thresholds that directly affect older but not younger siblings’ college options. Older siblings’ admissibility substantially increases their own four-year college enrollment rate and quality of college attended. Their improved college choices in turn raise younger siblings’ college enrollment rate and quality of college chosen, particularly for families with low predicted probabilities of college enrollment. Some younger siblings follow their older sibling to the same campus but many upgrade by choosing other colleges. The observed spillovers are not well-explained by price, income, proximity or legacy effects, but are most consistent with older siblings transmitting otherwise unavailable information about the college experience and its potential returns. The importance of such personally salient information may partly explain persistent differences in college-going rates by income, geography and other characteristics that define a community.

Keywords: college enrollment; peer effects; siblings; admissions; regression discontinuity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: O Brother, Where Start Thou? Sibling Spillovers in College Enrollment (2019)
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