News Finding: "Merely attending a more selective college does not make much of a difference for a given student's chance of graduating, if all else remains the same," said co-author Paul Attewell.
Paper Finding: However, as this article shows, merely attending a more selective college does not make much of a difference for a given student's chances of graduating if all else remains the same.
News Context: The findings held true for all students, regardless of whether they appeared likely or unlikely to attend selective schools, as predicted by student background characteristics such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and pre-college test scores. "Merely attending a more selective college does not make much of a difference for a given student's chance of graduating, if all else remains the same," said co-author Paul Attewell. "Our findings call into question the argument that a given student should always prefer the most academically selective school to which she can gain admission."
Paper Context: It is possible that colleges with low graduation rates can make some institutional changes to help their students stay in college and complete their studies. However, as this article shows, merely attending a more selective college does not make much of a difference for a given student's chances of graduating if all else remains the same. We find at best weak evidence that institutions raise, via academic selectivity, the graduation rates of students who otherwise would have lower chances of graduating.