Elite/Ivy grads really do earn more? (new study)

Data10
Sat, 05 Nov 2016 06:05:22 +0000

If your parents can’t or won’t pay for Harvard, even if you get admitted, there’s not much point in applying. It’s also why I think Krueger’s self revelation variable(best school applied to) is probably a proxy for having parents able to pay or at least cosign for the cost of elite colleges as much as anything else.

Harvard (and other similar “elite” colleges) isn’t exactly known for a large portion of parents cosigning loans. According to the IPEDS database, Harvard students had the 2nd lowest loan rate of all colleges in the US with a non-zero loan rate and reported ACT score. Only Hebrew Theological College was lower. Similarly I wouldn’t assume that a larger portion of families cannot pay for Harvard than other colleges. Their website claims, “Ninety percent of American families would pay the same or less to send their children to Harvard as they would a state school.” Their NPC suggests families with near the median income in the US would pay almost nothing after FA. That said, a large portion of Harvard admits come from wealthy families, so among Harvard admits, you’ll find a good portion who can find less expensive options at their state flagship, even if most US families would not.