Applied Micro Seminar : Every Tuesday
Time: 12:15 pm – 13:30 pm
Date: June, 30th
Room : 3001

Nagui BECHICHI  “Second Chances in Higher Education: Turning Setbacks into New Opportunities”

Abstract : 

Using administrative data from France’s centralized college admissions platform, I analyze students already enrolled in higher education who apply to switch to a different program, typically restarting from the first year. To estimate the effects of postsecondary redirection, I exploit a fuzzy regression discontinuity design based on the lowest admission cutoff among the programs to which each student applied. For applicants just above the cutoff, admission to a new program increases matriculation and graduation rates by 38 and 23 percentage points, respectively, measured within six years of the new application. The effects are strongest for students shifting to two-year vocational programs. Although postsecondary redirection entails additional public spending, higher graduation rates offset these costs, making it a cost-neutral way to correct early misalignments in students’ educational paths.

Organizers:
Benoît SCHMUTZ (Pôle économie du CREST)
Clément MALGOUYRES (Pôle économie du CREST)

Sponsors:
CREST