Greek Life, Academics, and Earnings

William E. Even () and Austin Smith
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William E. Even: Miami University

No 11841, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Using records from a large public university, we examine the impact of Greek life on academic performance and salaries. To isolate the causal effect of Greek life, we exploit a university policy prohibiting students from joining a Greek organization during their first semester and a minimum GPA for subsequent eligibility. Regression discontinuity and panel methods reveal that Greek affiliation reduces student grades by 0.1-0.3 standard deviations. Greek effects are largest during the semester of pledging, semesters of increased social activities, and for males. We find no evidence of a Greek salary premium and rule out even modest positive effects.

Keywords: higher education; fraternity; sorority; greek (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49 pages
Date: 2018-09
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Published - published in: Journal of Human Resources, 2022, 57 (3), 998-1032;

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Journal Article: Greek Life, Academics, and Earnings (2022)
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