ERIC Number: ED616689
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Nov
Pages: 87
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
(Mis)Information and the Value of College Names. EdWorkingPaper No. 20-329
Eble, Alex; Hu, Feng
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Hundreds of colleges have changed their names to signal higher quality. We estimate how this affects college choice and the labor market performance of college graduates. Administrative data show that name-changing colleges enroll higher-aptitude students, with larger effects for attractive-but-misleading name changes and among students with less information. A resume audit study shows that employer callbacks respond to the increased aptitude of recruited students at these colleges. We broaden these results using scraped online text data, survey data, and other administrative data. Our study demonstrates that signals designed to change beliefs can have real, lasting impacts on market outcomes.
Descriptors: Colleges, Universities, Institutional Characteristics, Reputation, College Choice, Labor Market, College Graduates, Employment Potential, Educational Change, Organizational Change, Foreign Countries, College Admission, College Applicants, Deception, Student Attitudes
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: AISR_Info@brown.edu; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A