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Author: Morris, Rebecca
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Morris, Rebecca
The Effects of Higher Education Tax Benefits and Aid Information on College Decisions
B.A. Honors Thesis, Department of Economics, Emory University, 2013
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Department of Economics, Emory University
Keyword(s): College Cost; College Enrollment; Educational Aspirations/Expectations; Educational Costs; Family Income; Mothers, Education; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Taxes

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In recent years, tax-based federal aid in the form of the Hope and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits as well as the Tuition Deduction has become a potential funding source for individuals interested in pursuing higher education. This paper analyzes the relationship between post-secondary financial aid distributed through the tax system and the decisions to apply to college, enroll in college, and complete a year of college for dependents between the ages of 18 and 23. Using policy variations in income and benefit limits to estimate the aid's effects, this study finds that the amount of tax benefit an individual is eligible to receive does not increase the probability that an individual decides to apply to college, enroll in college, or a complete a year of college. However, receipt of financial aid information was found to have economically and statistically significant effects for the three college decisions studied, with an associated increase in the probability of enrolling equivalent to 8.5 percentage points, an increase in the probability of applying equivalent to 27 percentage points, and an increase in the probability of completing a year of college equivalent to 17 percentage points. High frequency of discussions with parents about college attendance also resulted in significant increases in the probabilities analyzed in this paper.
Bibliography Citation
Morris, Rebecca. "The Effects of Higher Education Tax Benefits and Aid Information on College Decisions." B.A. Honors Thesis, Department of Economics, Emory University, 2013.