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The Effects of the State Prepaid Tuition Program on College Attainment

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  • Shen Ying

    (Department of Economics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA)

Abstract

By locking in today’s tuition rate for future college attendance, the prepaid tuition program (PTP) is designed to encourage parents to invest in their children’s human capital. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the state PTP on college attainment by using data from the 2011–2013 American Community Survey. By exploiting cross-state variation in the timing of the implementation of the state PTP, I found that the program adoption was associated with a 0.7–1.0 percentage point increase in college enrollment rates and a 0.5–0.7 percentage point increase in college completion rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Shen Ying, 2021. "The Effects of the State Prepaid Tuition Program on College Attainment," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(1), pages 307-334, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:21:y:2021:i:1:p:307-334:n:13
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2020-0058
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    References listed on IDEAS

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