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Student Aid, Repayment Obligations and Enrolment in Higher Education in Germany – Evidence from a “Natural Experiment”

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  • Hans J. Baumgartner
  • Viktor Steiner

Abstract

We evaluate the effect of the German Federal Educational Assistance Act (BAfoeG) on enrolment rates in higher education by exploiting the exogenous variation introduced through a discrete shift in the repayment regulations. While up to 1990, students receiving assistance had to repay their loans in full, since the BAfoeG reform, 50 percent thereof has been offered as a non-repayable grant. Our results from simple difference-in-difference estimates suggest that student aid is ineffective in raising enrolment rates. Our findings may have important implications for the current debate on the reform of financing higher education in Germany and elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Hans J. Baumgartner & Viktor Steiner, 2005. "Student Aid, Repayment Obligations and Enrolment in Higher Education in Germany – Evidence from a “Natural Experiment”," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 125(1), pages 29-38.
    • Handle: RePEc:aeq:aeqsjb:v125_y2005_i1_q1_p29-38
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Eckhard Janeba & Alexander Kemnitz & Nick Ehrhart, 2007. "Studiengebühren in Deutschland: Drei Thesen und ihr empirischer Gehalt," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 8(2), pages 184-205, March.
    2. Hans J. Baumgartner & Viktor Steiner, 2006. "Does More Generous Student Aid Increase Enrolment Rates into Higher Education?: Evaluating the German Student Aid Reform of 2001," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 563, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Viktor Steiner & Katharina Wrohlich, 2012. "Financial Student Aid and Enrollment in Higher Education: New Evidence from Germany," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(1), pages 124-147, March.
    4. Jacob Arendt, 2013. "The effect of public financial aid on dropout from and completion of university education: evidence from a student grant reform," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 1545-1562, June.
    5. Gunnes, Trude & Kirkebøen, Lars J. & Rønning, Marte, 2013. "Financial incentives and study duration in higher education," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 1-11.
    6. Herber, Stefanie P. & Kalinowski, Michael, 2016. "Non-take-up of Student Financial Aid: A Microsimulation for Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145727, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Hübner, Malte, 2012. "Do tuition fees affect enrollment behavior? Evidence from a ‘natural experiment’ in Germany," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 949-960.
    8. Stefanie P. Herber & Michael Kalinowski, 2016. "Non-Take-Up of Student Financial Aid: A Microsimulation for Germany," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 844, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    9. Vettoretto, Elena & Azzolini, Davide & Vergolini, Loris, 2019. "Why should financial aid affect university participation? A review of the literature," SocArXiv jbhy4, Center for Open Science.
    10. Regina Riphahn & Florian Schieferdecker, 2012. "The transition to tertiary education and parental background over time," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 25(2), pages 635-675, January.
    11. Herber, Stefanie P. & Kalinowski, Michael, 2016. "Non-take-up of student financial aid: A microsimulation for Germany," BERG Working Paper Series 109, Bamberg University, Bamberg Economic Research Group.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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