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Tuition Rich, Mission Poor: Nonresident Enrollment Growth and the Socioeconomic and Racial Composition of Public Research Universities

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  • Ozan Jaquette
  • Bradley R. Curs
  • Julie R. Posselt

Abstract

Many public research universities fail to enroll a critical mass of low-income and underrepresented minority (URM) students. Though founded with a commitment to access, public research universities face pressure to increase tuition revenue and to recruit high-achieving students. These pressures create an incentive to recruit nonresident students, who tend to pay more tuition and score higher on admissions exams, but who also tend to be richer and are less likely be Black or Latino. This paper examines whether the growing share of nonresident students was associated with a declining share of low-income and URM students at public research universities. Institution-level panel models revealed that growth in the proportion of nonresident students was associated with a decline in the proportion of low-income students. This negative relationship was stronger at prestigious universities and at universities in high-poverty states. Growth in the proportion of nonresident students was also associated with a decline in the proportion of URM students. This negative relationship was stronger at prestigious universities, universities in states with large minority populations, and universities in states with affirmative action bans. These findings yield insights about the changing character of public research universities and have implications for the campus climate experienced by low-income and URM students.

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  • Ozan Jaquette & Bradley R. Curs & Julie R. Posselt, 2016. "Tuition Rich, Mission Poor: Nonresident Enrollment Growth and the Socioeconomic and Racial Composition of Public Research Universities," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 87(5), pages 635-673, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:uhejxx:v:87:y:2016:i:5:p:635-673
    DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2016.11777417
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    Cited by:

    1. Ozan Jaquette & Crystal Han & Irma Castañeda, 2024. "The Private School Network: Recruiting Visits to Private High Schools by Public and Private Universities," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 65(6), pages 1269-1315, September.
    2. Welch Suggs & Alex B. Monday & Jennifer May-Trifiletti & James C. Hearn, 2024. "Institutional Effects of Adding Football: A Difference-in-Difference Analysis," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 65(6), pages 1243-1268, September.
    3. Siân Mughan & Jessica Sherrod Hale & Joanna Woronkowicz, 2022. "Build It and will They Come?: The Effect of Investing in Cultural Consumption Amenities in Higher Education on Student-Level Outcomes," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 63(1), pages 60-91, February.
    4. Robert C. Lowry, 2019. "The Effects of State Higher Education Policies and Institutions on Access by Economically Disadvantaged Students," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 60(1), pages 44-63, February.
    5. Karly S. Ford & Kelly Ochs Rosinger & Qiong Zhu, 2021. "Consolidation of Class Advantages in the Wake of the Great Recession: University Enrollments, Educational Opportunity and Stratification," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(7), pages 915-941, November.
    6. Justin C. Ortagus & Kelly Ochs Rosinger & Robert Kelchen & Garam Chu & Mitchell Lingo, 2023. "The Unequal Impacts of Performance-Based Funding on Institutional Resources in Higher Education," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(5), pages 705-739, August.
    7. Karen L. Webber & Rachel Burns, 2021. "Increases in Graduate Student Debt in the US: 2000 to 2016," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(5), pages 709-732, August.
    8. Ozan Jaquette & Bradley R. Curs, 2023. "Enrollment Growth and Faculty Hiring at Public Research Universities," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(3), pages 349-378, May.

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