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Estimating the Value of Higher Education Financial Aid: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Christian Belzil
  • Arnaud Maurel
  • Modibo Sidibé

Abstract

Using data from a Canadian field experiment on financial barriers to higher education, we estimate the distribution of the value of financial aid for prospective students. We find that a considerable share of prospective students perceive significant credit constraints. Most individuals are willing to pay a sizable interest premium above the prevailing market rate for the option to take up a loan, with a median interest rate wedge equal to 6.8 percentage points for a $1,000 loan. The willingness to pay for financial aid is heterogeneous across students, with discount factors playing a key role in accounting for this variation.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Belzil & Arnaud Maurel & Modibo Sidibé, 2021. "Estimating the Value of Higher Education Financial Aid: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(2), pages 361-395.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/710701
    DOI: 10.1086/710701
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    Cited by:

    1. Belzil, Christian & Sidibé, Modibo, 2016. "Internal and External Validity of Experimental Risk and Time Preferences," IZA Discussion Papers 10348, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Christian Belzil & Jörgen Hansen & Julie Pernaudet, 2024. "Les déterminants cognitifs et non-cognitifs du choix de filière et leur impact sur la phase initiale du cycle professionnel," CIRANO Project Reports 2024rp-06, CIRANO.
    3. Xavier D'Haultfoeuille & Christophe Gaillac & Arnaud Maurel, 2018. "Rationalizing Rational Expectations? Tests and Deviations," NBER Working Papers 25274, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Christian Belzil & Tomáš Jagelka, 2024. "Separating Preferences from Endogenous Effort and Cognitive Noise in Observed Decisions," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 350, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    5. Christian Belzil, 2018. "Évaluation de la valeur économique de l’aide financière pour l’éducation supérieure au Québec et en Ontario," CIRANO Project Reports 2018rp-08, CIRANO.
    6. Jeffrey T. Denning & Benjamin M. Marx & Lesley J. Turner, 2019. "ProPelled: The Effects of Grants on Graduation, Earnings, and Welfare," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 193-224, July.
    7. Jérôme Adda & Christian Dustmann & Joseph-Simon Görlach, 2022. "The Dynamics of Return Migration, Human Capital Accumulation, and Wage Assimilation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(6), pages 2841-2871.
    8. Xavier D'Haultfoeuille & Christophe Gaillac & Arnaud Maurel, 2021. "Rationalizing rational expectations: Characterizations and tests," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(3), pages 817-842, July.
    9. Sandra E. Black & Jeffrey T. Denning & Lisa J. Dettling & Sarena Goodman & Lesley J. Turner, 2023. "Taking It to the Limit: Effects of Increased Student Loan Availability on Attainment, Earnings, and Financial Well-Being," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(12), pages 3357-3400, December.
    10. Tomáš Jagelka, 2024. "Are Economists’ Preferences Psychologists’ Personality Traits? A Structural Approach," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(3), pages 910-970.
    11. Belzil, Christian & Pernaudet, Julie & Poinas, François, 2021. "Estimating Coherency between Survey Data and Incentivized Experimental Data," IZA Discussion Papers 14594, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Christian Belzil & Jörgen Hansen & Julie Pernaudet, 2024. "Separating the Structural and Composition Impacts of Financial Aid on the Choice of Major," Working Papers 2024-14, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    13. Don Tawanpitak, 2024. "Paying Tuition under Few Credit Constraints: Debt, Field of Study, and Drop Out," PIER Discussion Papers 226, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research, revised Jan 2025.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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