An older college professor like me

Past research shows that students’ educational outcomes improve when their race matches their teachers’ and they are significantly younger than their teachers. This study examines whether these racial congruence effects apply to students who are older than their instructors. Using administrative data from a university with a significant population of non-traditional-aged students and focusing on required classes to eliminate strategic instructor choice possibility, we find that race matches are associated with improved grades for younger students but not for those of similar age or older relative to their professors. While the dataset predominantly features White student–teacher pairs, additional analyses yield similar patterns for minorities with some limitations for statistical power. The most potent effects are observed for non-traditional-aged Black students. Our findings suggest that the benefits of race-matched instructors for younger students may be driven by the role model channel, wherein older professors positively influence younger students’ academic performance through mentoring and motivation.