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Optimal Need-Based Financial Aid

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Colas
  • Sebastian Findeisen
  • Dominik Sachs

Abstract

We study the optimal design of student financial aid as a function of parental income. We derive optimal financial aid formulas in a general model. We estimate a model of selection into college for the United States that comprises multidimensional heterogeneity, endogenous parental transfers, dropout, labor supply in college, and uncertain returns. We quantify optimal financial aid in the estimated model and find it is strongly declining in parental income even without distributional concerns. Equity and efficiency go hand in hand.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Colas & Sebastian Findeisen & Dominik Sachs, 2021. "Optimal Need-Based Financial Aid," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(2), pages 492-533.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/711952
    DOI: 10.1086/711952
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Spencer Bastani & Sebastian Koehne, 2024. "How Should Consumption Be Taxed?," FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 80(3), pages 259-302.
    2. Zhifeng Cai & Jonathan Heathcote, 2022. "College Tuition and Income Inequality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(1), pages 81-121, January.
    3. Mark Colas & Dominik Sachs, 2024. "The Indirect Fiscal Benefits of Low-Skilled Immigration," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 515-550, May.
    4. Kristy Fan & Tyler J. Fisher & Andrew A. Samwick, 2025. "The Insurance Value of Financial Aid," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 20(4), pages 674-703, Fall.
    5. Bas Jacobs & Uwe Thuemmel, 2023. "Optimal linear income taxes and education subsidies under skill-biased technical change," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(6), pages 1529-1575, December.
    6. Koen Declercq & Erwin Ooghe, 2021. "Should Higher Education Be Subsidized More?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9377, CESifo.
    7. Youngmin Park, 2018. "Inequality in Parental Transfers, Borrowing Constraints, and Optimal Higher Education Subsidies," 2018 Meeting Papers 623, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    8. Youngmin Park, 2019. "Inequality in Parental Transfers and Optimal Need-Based Financial Aid," Staff Working Papers 19-7, Bank of Canada.
    9. Aronsson, Thomas & Bastani, Spencer & Tayibov, Khayyam, 2021. "Social Exclusion and Optimal Redistribution," Umeå Economic Studies 1004, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    10. Winfried Koeniger & Julien Prat, 2018. "Human Capital and Optimal Redistribution," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 27, pages 1-26, January.
    11. Arenas, Andreu & Malgouyres, Clément, 2018. "Countercyclical school attainment and intergenerational mobility," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 97-111.
    12. Mookherjee, Dilip & Napel, Stefan, 2021. "Welfare rationales for conditionality of cash transfers," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    13. Garrett Anstreicher, 2024. "Family Resources and Human Capital in Economic Downturns," Working Papers 24-15, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    14. Aronsson, Thomas & Bastani, Spencer & Tayibov, Khayyam, 2025. "Redistribution and labor market inclusion," Working Paper Series 2025:19, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    15. Alessandra Casarico & Elena Del Rey & Jose I. Silva, 2023. "Child care costs, household liquidity constraints, and gender inequality," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1461-1487, July.
    16. Uta Bolt & Eric French & Jamie Hentall Maccuish & Cormac O’Dea, 2018. "Intergenerational Altruism and Transfers of Time and Money: A Life-cycle Perspective," Working Papers wp379, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    17. Manudeep Bhuller & Philipp Eisenhauer & Moritz Mendel, 2022. "Sequential Choices, Option Values, and the Returns to Education," Papers 2205.05444, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2024.
    18. Emily G. Moschini & Gajendran Raveendranathan, 2024. "College Financial Aid Application Frictions," Department of Economics Working Papers 2024-10, McMaster University.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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