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Post-baccalaureate migration and merit-based scholarships

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  • Fitzpatrick, Maria D.
  • Jones, Damon

Abstract

For policymakers aiming to alter the migratory patterns of skilled labor, one potential tool involves subsidizing higher education. We present new evidence on the effects of merit aid scholarship programs – programs that offer partial or full tuition subsidies to high-achieving in-state students. Using Census data on 24 to 32 year olds in the U.S. from 1990 to 2010, we show that eligibility for merit aid programs slightly increases the propensity of state natives to live in-state, while also extending in-state enrollment into the late twenties. However, the share of a cohort both living in-state and having a BA is unchanged, with a possible decline in overall BA attainment. These patterns notwithstanding, the magnitude of merit aid effects is of an order of magnitude smaller than size of the treated population, suggesting that nearly all of the spending on these programs transfers resources to individuals whose ultimate migration decisions remain unchanged.

Suggested Citation

  • Fitzpatrick, Maria D. & Jones, Damon, 2016. "Post-baccalaureate migration and merit-based scholarships," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 155-172.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:54:y:2016:i:c:p:155-172
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.07.002
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    Cited by:

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    4. Sara Binassi & Giovanni Guidetti & Mariele Macaluso & Giulio Pedrini, 2021. "Assessing selection patterns and wage differentials of high-skilled migrants. Evidence from Italian graduates working abroad," QUADERNI DI ECONOMIA DEL LAVORO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(113), pages 83-115.
    5. Rajashri Chakrabarti & Nicole Gorton & Joydeep Roy, 2018. "Getting ahead by spending more? Local community response to state merit aid programs," Staff Reports 872, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    6. Machado, Cecilia & Szerman, Christiane, 2021. "Centralized college admissions and student composition," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    7. Dennis A. Kramer & Justin C. Ortagus & T. Austin Lacy, 2018. "Tuition-Setting Authority and Broad-Based Merit Aid: The Effect of Policy Intersection on Pricing Strategies," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 59(4), pages 489-518, June.
    8. Nina Petreska & Jana Prodanova & Ljupco Kocarev, 2023. "Should I Leave My Country? Higher Education Value Shaping Students’ Satisfaction and Brain Drain Intentions in Western Balkans," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, November.
    9. Bradley D. Custer & Hope O. Akaeze, 2021. "A Typology of State Financial Aid Grant Programs Using Latent Class Analysis," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(2), pages 175-205, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Interstate migration; Higher education; Brain drain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • H7 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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