The Impact of a Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program on University Choices and Performance

Stefania Bortolotti and Annalisa Loviglio

No 17417, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We study the impact of a personalized mentoring program on university enrollment choices and academic outcomes. Conducting a randomized controlled trial among 337 high school students, we find that the program significantly influences students' decisions. The likelihood of choosing a field aligned with their mentor increases by 14 to 22 percentage points, depending on the sample and specification, representing a 25% to 45% increase from the baseline. Notably, the program also shifts preferences towards STEM/Economics fields, potentially enhancing prospective wages by 3.1- 3.7%. Using administrative data, we confirm the validity of survey-based evidence and show that the intervention does not negatively impact university performance, even though treated students enroll in more competitive fields.

Keywords: mentoring; university choices; RCT (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 I23 I26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 60 pages
Date: 2024-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-exp and nep-ure
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Working Paper: The Impact of a Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program on University Choices and Performance (2024)
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