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Limited choice in college admissions: An experimental study

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  • Chen, Wei-Cheng
  • Chen, Yi-Yi
  • Kao, Yi-Cheng

Abstract

This paper investigates a college admissions problem in which students' choice set is limited by colleges' strategic actions, such as early decision programs in the US or simultaneous entrance examinations in Asia, in order to prevent multiple applications. We call this action the conflicting strategy and conduct laboratory experiments to explore the problem. We argue that colleges' prestige and students' uncertainty about admissions outcomes are two important factors. Our model and experimental results demonstrate that when uncertainty is high and the prestige difference is low, a lower-ranked college can obtain more desired students through the conflicting strategy. Moreover, through this strategy, students with stronger preferences for a higher-ranked college have a higher chance to be accepted, which could result in an increase of students' aggregate welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Wei-Cheng & Chen, Yi-Yi & Kao, Yi-Cheng, 2018. "Limited choice in college admissions: An experimental study," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 295-316.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:108:y:2018:i:c:p:295-316
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2017.12.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Ayse Mumcu & Ismail Saglam, 2021. "Strategic Issues in College Admissions with Early Decision," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(1), pages 66-84.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Matching; Simultaneous screening; Early decision; Experiments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior

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