Working Paper: NBER ID: w9516
Authors: Michael J. Rizzo; Ronald G. Ehrenberg
Abstract: We address the determinants of resident and nonresident tuition and enrollment at public universities. A key explanatory variable is the share of out-of-state students enrolled under reciprocity agreements. We find that public universities use out-of-state enrollments primarily to augment student quality, not to make up for losses in state appropriations.In the main out-of-state enrollment levels are relatively insensitive to out-of-state tuition levels charged by institutions. Finally, we find no evidence that public universities increase their in-state or out-of-state tuition levels in response to increased federal or state financial aid for students.
Keywords: tuition; enrollment; public universities; financial aid; nonresident students
JEL Codes: I2
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| out-of-state enrollments (H79) | improved student quality (I24) |
| out-of-state tuition levels charged (H79) | out-of-state enrollments (H79) |
| federal or state financial aid (I22) | in-state or out-of-state tuition levels (H73) |