Parental Education and the Responses to Higher SAT Scores

Georg Graetz, Björn Öckert and Oskar Nordström Skans

Journal of Human Resources, 2025, vol. 60, issue 6, 1971-2007

Abstract: Using discontinuities within the Swedish SAT system, we study the causal impact of additional admission opportunities on participation in higher education among high-ability students. Students with low-educated parents who marginally pass an SAT score threshold, are more likely to enroll and graduate from programs they could have attended even with a lower score. This suggests that they face behavioral barriers even in a setting where colleges are tuition-free, student grants are universal, and application systems are simple. In contrast, students with high-educated parents respond to enhanced opportunities in ways that appear rational and informed, particularly by switching to higher-quality, more competitive programs.

JEL-codes: I21 I23 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0420-10824R2
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://jhr.uwpress.org/cgi/reprint/60/6/1971
A subscription is required to access pdf files. Pay per article is available.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:60:y:2025:i:6:p:1971-2007

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Human Resources from University of Wisconsin Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().