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Diffusion of Common Application Membership and Admissions Outcomes at American Colleges and Universities

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  • Albert Yung-Hsu 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.

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  • Albert Yung-Hsu Liu & Ronald G. Ehrenberg & Jesenka Mrdjenovic, 2007. "Diffusion of Common Application Membership and Admissions Outcomes at American Colleges and Universities," NBER Working Papers 13175, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13175
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    Cited by:

    1. Brian Knight & Nathan Schiff, 2022. "Reducing Frictions in College Admissions: Evidence from the Common Application," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 179-206, February.
    2. Arcidiacono, Peter & Kinsler, Josh & Ransom, Tyler, 2022. "Recruit to reject? Harvard and African American applicants," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    3. D. Randall Smith, 2019. "The Lure of Academic and Social Reputations Versus Athletic Success: Influences on Enrollment Yield at NCAA Division I Institutions," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(6), pages 870-904, September.
    4. Griffith, Amanda L., 2011. "Keeping up with the Joneses: Institutional changes following the adoption of a merit aid policy," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 1022-1033, October.

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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