The Impact of College Quality on College Completion Rates

In Massachusetts high school students with test scores above multiple thresholds were granted tuition waivers at in-state public colleges of lower quality than the average alternative available to such students.

This study found:

First, students are remarkably willing to forego college quality for relatively small amounts of money.

Second, choosing a lower quality college significantly lowers on-time completion rates.

For the marginal student, enrolling at an in-state public college lowered the probability of graduating on time by more than 40%. The low completion rates of scholarship users imply the program had little impact on the in-state production of college degrees.