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Diffusion of Common Application Membership and Admissions Outcomes at American Colleges and Universities

Author
Liu, Albert Yung-Hsu; Ehrenberg, Ronald G.; Mrdjenovic, Jesenka
Abstract
We study the adoption of Common Application membership by private four-year postsecondary institutions and its role in explaining the growth in undergraduate applications. Using data from the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges, proportional hazards models suggest that institutions respond to the net benefit of adoption. We then estimate that membership increases applications by 5.7–7.0 percent and decreases yield rates by 2.8–3.9 percent. Acceptance rates decrease for members when their local networks are large. Falsification tests indicate that membership effects occur as a one-time adoption shock. Membership also decreases SAT scores and increases the percent students of color.
Date Issued
2007-05-30Subject
higher education; admissions; applications; Common Application
Rights
Required Publisher Statement: Published by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, Cornell University.
Type
article