Are disadvantaged students more likely to undermatch in higher education? We consider this question using detailed administrative records from schools, universities, and tax authorities in England. We develop two new continuous measures of student-course match quality. First, we compare each student’s position on the age 18 test score distribution with that of their university-course peers, examining whether high-attaining students match to courses with high-attaining peers. Second, we compare each student’s relative test score with the distribution of earnings of past students on their chosen course, examining whether high ability students match to courses with high returns. We find that high-attaining disadvantaged students are more likely to be undermatched than their more advantaged counterparts, particularly based on expected returns. There are indications that undermatched students tend to live in environments which are less conducive to academic success.
Presented by:
Stuart Campbell, UCL Institute of Education
Date & time:
March 19, 2018 4:00 pm - March 19, 2018 5:30 pm
Venue:
2N2.4.16
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