Working Paper Revision

Selective College Access and Intergenerational Mobility


Abstract: This paper studies how admissions preferences for lower-income students, alone or combined with information provision, affect college sorting, intergenerational earnings mobility, and aggregate earnings. We develop a quantitative model of college choice with quality-differentiated college types. We find that income-adjusted admissions substantially increase lower-income enrollment at selective colleges and improve intergenerational earnings mobility. Even larger-scale reforms generate only a slight decline in aggregate earnings.

JEL Classification: J24; J31; I23; I26;

https://doi.org/10.20955/wp.2024.030

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Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Part of Series: Working Papers

Publication Date: 2026-08-09

Number: 2024-030

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