Working Paper: NBER ID: w13175
Authors: Albert Yunghsu Liu; Ronald G. Ehrenberg; Jesenka Mrdjenovic
Abstract: We study the adoption of Common Application membership by private four-year postsecondary institutions and its role in explaining the growth in undergraduate applications. Using data from the College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges, our estimation of proportional hazard models suggest that institutions respond to the net benefit of adoption. We estimate that membership increases applications by 5.7 to 7.0 percent and decreases yield rates by 2.8 to 3.9 percent. Acceptance rates decrease for members when their local networks are large. Membership is also associated with a decline in SAT scores and an increase in the percentage of students of color. Finally, falsification tests indicate that membership effects occur as a one-time adoption shock that persists thereafter.
Keywords: common application; college admissions; network externalities; higher education
JEL Codes: I21; L11; L14
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| CAPP membership (F53) | applications (C88) |
| CAPP membership (F53) | yield rates (E43) |
| CAPP membership (F53) | demographic composition of enrolled students (J21) |
| CAPP membership (F53) | acceptance rates (C52) |
| local networks of member institutions (D85) | acceptance rates (C52) |