SAT School Day: Does Expanding Access to College Entrance Exams Change Enrollment Patterns? (Poster 20)

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education Research: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Policies that promote universal access to college entrance exams are one means of reducing administrative barriers within the college application process. This paper examines the efficacy of one such policy, “SAT School Day” (SSD), on increasing college enrollment and improving institutional choices. Using administrative data from the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) on high graduates between 2014 and 2018, I employ a difference-in-differences approach that exploits the staggered rollout of SSD across NYCDOE schools over time. I find that the SSD policy increased SAT-taking rates by 20 percent; however, there is no evidence that cohorts exposed to SSD were more likely to enroll in four-year colleges, “more selective” colleges, or colleges that required the exam. I can rule out effects larger than 0.93 percentage points on four-year enrollment. Findings differ from those of previous studies and contribute to a growing literature on the potential limitations of nudges.

Author

• Theo Pippins, Association of College and University Educators