The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges

Eleanor Dillon and Jeffrey Smith

No 25069, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We consider the effects of student ability, college quality, and the interaction between the two on academic outcomes and earnings using data on two cohorts of college enrollees. Student ability and college quality strongly improve degree completion and earnings for all students. We find evidence of meaningful complementarity between student ability and college quality in degree completion at four years and long-term earnings, but not in degree completion at six years or STEM degree completion. This complementarity implies some tradeoff between equity and efficiency for policies that move lower ability students to higher quality colleges.

JEL-codes: I23 I26 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-09
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Published as Eleanor Wiske Dillon & Jeffrey Andrew Smith, 2020. "The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges," Journal of Human Resources, vol 55(3), pages 767-808.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges (2020)
Working Paper: The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges (2018)
Working Paper: The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges (2017)
Working Paper: The consequences of academic match between students and colleges (2016)
Working Paper: The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges (2015)
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