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Can Online Delivery Increase Acces to Education?

Author

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  • Joshua S. Goodman
  • Julia Melkers
  • Amanda Pallais

Abstract

Though online technology has generated excitement about its potential to increase access to education, most research has focused on comparing student performance across online and in-person formats. We provide the first evidence that online education affects the number of people pursuing formal education. We study the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Online M.S. in Computer Science, the earliest model to combine the inexpensive nature of online education with a highly-ranked degree program. Regression discontinuity estimates exploiting an admissions threshold unknown to applicants show that access to this online option substantially increases overall enrollment in formal education, expanding the pool of students rather than substituting for existing educational options. Demand for the online option is driven by mid-career Americans. By satisfying large, previously unmet demand for mid-career training, this single program will boost annual production of American computer science master’s degrees by about seven percent. More generally, these results suggest that low-cost, high-quality online options may open opportunities for populations who would not otherwise pursue education.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua S. Goodman & Julia Melkers & Amanda Pallais, 2017. "Can Online Delivery Increase Acces to Education?," CESifo Working Paper Series 6551, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6551
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    2. Jacqmin, Julien, 2018. "Why are some online courses more open than others?," MPRA Paper 89929, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Fulya Ersoy, 2021. "Returns to effort: experimental evidence from an online language platform," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1047-1073, September.
    4. Assaad, Ragui & Aydemir, Abdurrahman B. & Dayioglu-Tayfur, Meltem & Kirdar, Murat Güray, 2023. "Wage Returns to Human Capital Resulting from an Extra Year of Primary School: Evidence from Egypt," IZA Discussion Papers 16037, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. George Agiomirgianakis & Theodore Lianos & Nicholas Tsounis, 2019. "Returns to Investment in Distance Learning: the Case of Greece," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(3), pages 94-100, March.
    6. Li, Haizheng & Liu, Qinyi & Su, Yan & Ederer, Peer, 2023. "Policy initiatives, self-sorting, and labor market effects of tertiary education for adult workers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 205-221.
    7. Emara, Noha & Atkinson, Mycaeri & Karn, Sumit & Tryon, Tiffany, 2025. "Analyzing non-linear and interactive impacts of distance learning on college enrollment post-COVID-19," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 2112-2125.
    8. Jacqmin, Julien, 2019. "Providing MOOCs: A FUN way to enroll students?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 32-39.
    9. Rahul Singh & Moses Stewart, 2025. "Placebo Discontinuity Design," Papers 2507.12693, arXiv.org.
    10. Javier Orozco-Messana & Juan Miguel Martínez-Rubio & Ana Maria Gonzálvez-Pons, 2020. "Sustainable Higher Education Development through Technology Enhanced Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-13, April.
    11. Mauricio Villamizar‐Villegas & Freddy A. Pinzon‐Puerto & Maria Alejandra Ruiz‐Sanchez, 2022. "A comprehensive history of regression discontinuity designs: An empirical survey of the last 60 years," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 1130-1178, September.
    12. Wenhua Di & Nathaniel Pattison, 2020. "Distant Lending, Specialization, and Access to Credit," Working Papers 2003, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    13. Albert Whata & Charles Chimedza, 2021. "Credibility of Causal Estimates from Regression Discontinuity Designs with Multiple Assignment Variables," Stats, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-23, November.
    14. Dahlstrand Rudin, Amanda, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 118042, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Kameshwari Shankar & Punit Arora & Maria Christina Binz-Scharf, 2023. "Evidence on Online Higher Education: The Promise of COVID-19 Pandemic Data," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(2), pages 242-249, May.
    16. Jacqmin, Julien, 2022. "Why are some Massive Open Online Courses more open than others?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    17. David Carey, 2017. "Adapting to the changing labour market in New Zealand," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1420, OECD Publishing.
    18. Lastra-Anadón, Carlos & Muñiz, Manuel Antonio, 2017. "Technological change, inequality and the collapse of the liberal order," Economics Discussion Papers 2017-43, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    19. Amanda Dahlstrand, 2022. "Defying distance? The provision of services in the digital age," CEP Discussion Papers dp1889, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.

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    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J00 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - General

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