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Away, but not too far from home. The effects of financial aid on university enrolment decisions

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  • Vergolini, Loris
  • Zanini, Nadir

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of an educational programme recently introduced in the Province of Trento (North-East of Italy) aimed at fostering university enrolment of students from low-income families and at reducing inequalities in access to higher education. The programme consists in generous incentives: it targets university students from low-income families and is awarded upon both merit and demonstrated financial need. We exploit data from a survey conducted on a sample of upper secondary graduates linked to administrative records and employ a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impact of the intervention on the university enrolment decisions. We find that the programme has no significant effect on enrolment rates, but it exerts a positive effect on redirecting students already bound for university to enrol outside the place of residence.

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  • Vergolini, Loris & Zanini, Nadir, 2015. "Away, but not too far from home. The effects of financial aid on university enrolment decisions," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 91-109.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:49:y:2015:i:c:p:91-109
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.08.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Modena & Giulia Martina Tanzi & Enrico Rettore, 2018. "The effect of grants on university drop-out rates: evidence on the Italian case," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1193, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    2. Francesca Modena & Santiago Pereda-Fernández & Giulia Martina Tanzi, 2023. "On the Design of Grant Assignment Rules," Politica economica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 3-40.
    3. Contini, Dalit & Salza, Guido, 2020. "Too few university graduates. Inclusiveness and effectiveness of the Italian higher education system," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    4. Alberto Martini & Davide Azzolini & Barbara Romano & Loris Vergolini, 2021. "Increasing College Going by Incentivizing Savings: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Italy," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 814-840, June.
    5. Olawunmi Omitogun & Farouq Adekunle Akanni & Adedayo Emmanuel Longe & longeemmanuel28@gmail.com, 2019. "Disaggregated Government Expenditure and Education Enrolment in Nigeria," Business & Management Compass, University of Economics Varna, issue 4, pages 309-326.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial aid; University enrolment; Regression discontinuity; Programme evaluation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C31 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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