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College Access

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The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

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Abstract

College Access refers to the enrollment rate of a group of individuals into higher education. It could be defined for an entire population (e.g. recent high school graduates in the United States) or for particular subgroups, often defined by demographics. Theory suggests that individuals will weigh the costs and benefits of higher education, both monetary and otherwise, to decide whether to prepare for college, enroll in a postsecondary institution and continue until completing a college degree. Gaps in college access serve as indicators of differences in educational opportunity, and there is a great deal of research that has sought to understand the reasons for the gaps and evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programmes meant to reduce gaps and increase college access more generally. Major approaches include addressing with affordability concerns with financial aid, providing support for academic preparation and improving information and reducing process complexity. Whilst college access is a broad indicator of education progress, there is increasing attention on college choice (i.e. where a student chooses to enroll) and degree completion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Bridget Terry Long

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  1. Bridget Terry Long
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Correspondence to Bridget Terry Long .

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      Bruce A. Weinberg

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    © 2018 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature

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    Long, B.T. (2018). College Access. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_3032-1

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_3032-1

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    • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-95121-5

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