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  4. May 2021
  5. The Common Application and Student Choice

AEA Papers and Proceedings

ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)

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The Common Application and Student Choice

  • Brian Knight
  • Nathan Schiff
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111, May 2021
(pp. 460–64)
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Abstract

We study the effects of the Common Application (CA) platform, which allows students to submit a single application to multiple institutions, on student choice. Using individual-level data from freshman surveys over the period 1982–2014, we develop two proxies for student choice, one based upon the number of applications submitted and another based upon students attending non-first-choice institutions. Using these proxies, we first document sharp increases in student choice over time. Linking these outcomes to the timing of CA membership, we provide evidence of a link between CA entry and increased student choice.

Citation

Knight, Brian, and Nathan Schiff. 2021. "The Common Application and Student Choice." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 460–64. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211042

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • I23 Higher Education; Research Institutions