This paper examines the impact of tuition fees on graduation rates among high-school leavers. We analyse the introduction of fees in several German states in 2006-07 (around EUR 1,000 annually), using administrative microdata on all university graduates and a difference-in-differences approach....

In many countries, subsidies towards higher education and financial aid to students from poorer backgrounds have reduced socio-economic status (SES) gaps in undergraduate study. The increasing importance of graduate studies that are typically more expensive may, however, provide a new avenue for...

This paper studies families' capacity to pay for college in the United States, focusing on changes over time and differences by race and socioeconomic status. I use data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) to document changes over time in the Expected Family Contribution...

The paper analyzes the effects of two kinds of college education subsidies: unconditional tuition discounts and targeted forgiveness of student loans on student college enrollment and completion or dropout decisions. We focus on students’ imperfect knowledge of their academic ability at the...

State governments provide grants to students to subsidize college attendance. In response, colleges can adjust their tuition, aid policies, and admission standards, affecting equilibrium enrollment and pass-through of aid to students. To quantify demand- and supply-side responses, I develop a...

As college attainment expanded in the U.S., the fraction of public funds allocated to selective colleges and universities declined. Does this make sense from an efficiency standpoint, given that the majority of college entrants face the highest financial returns at selective colleges? Should the...

This study examines how financial aid shapes post-secondary enrollment and persistence among senior high school graduates, challenging assumptions in traditional human capital theory. While the theory posits that reducing financial barriers increases participation, findings suggest a more...

We evaluate the First-Generation Graduate Scholarship scheme implemented in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which waives tuition fees for first-generation college students in technical education. Using household survey data in difference-in-differences (DiD) and synthetic DiD frameworks, we find...

Student loans have taken on an increasingly significant role in funding the higher education experience and payments toward student loan debt have become an important part of many borrowers' overall financial plan. Using Brandwatch, this study analyzes X data to better understand student loan...

A human capital model is used to examine students' willingness to borrow to pay for a college degree. We hypothesize direct costs of education and education goals to be positively associated and current income and alternative financial support to be negatively associated with willingness to...

Vor mehr als 50 Jahren wurde das Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (BAföG) beschlossen. Es soll Bildungspotenziale ausschöpfen und die Chancengleichheit im (Hochschul-)Bildungswesen fördern. Um die Ziele zu erreichen, gibt es zwei wesentliche Steuerungshebel: Freibeträge und Bedarfssätze....

This study evaluates the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), a key component of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act No. 10931), which aims to provide financial support to underprivileged Filipino students in higher education. Employing a mixedmethods approach, the...

This study examines how student aid eligibility influences application decisions to higher education using administrative data from France. We study the impact of a change in income thresholds for aid eligibility. We find that aid eligibility did not have a uniform effect on students'...

Vor mehr als 50 Jahren wurde das Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (BAföG) beschlossen. Es soll Bildungspotenziale ausschöpfen und die Chancengleichheit im (Hochschul-)Bildungswesen fördern. Um die Ziele zu erreichen, gibt es zwei wesentliche Steuerungshebel: Freibeträge und Bedarfssätze....

Five years after introducing tuition fees, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) abolished them in March 2011. Using student-level panel data, we assess the effects of this reform on academic activity and performance in two universities in NRW: a state university and a private...

We model student enrollment in markets for higher education where public universities, private non-profit universities, and private for-profit universities compete. Universities differ with respect to their capacity, graduation probability, and profit objective; students differ in ability. The...

We study how geographic access to public postsecondary institutions is associated with students' college enrollment decisions across race and socioeconomic status. Leveraging rich administrative data, we first document substantial differences in students' local college options, with White,...