Unpacking the Gap

Socioeconomic Background and the Stratification of College Applications in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID21751998
AuthorsWesley Jeffrey (0000-0003-0961-4538, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author), Benjamin G Gibbs (0000-0002-3610-7956, Brigham Young University)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue4
Pages705-731
Publication date2024-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueResearch in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1573-188X • E-ISSN: 0361-0365
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11162-024-09780-z
OpenAlexW4393039682
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited45

While a substantial body of work has shown that higher-SES students tend to apply to more selective colleges than their lower-SES counterparts, we know relatively less about why students differ in their application behavior. In this study, we draw upon a sociological approach to educational stratification to unpack the SES-based gap in college application selectivity. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 , we examine the contribution of theoretical factors to the class-based gap in the selectivity of college applications. Namely, from the rational action model we estimate the contribution of performance differentials and choice differentials , while from the status attainment model we look at the level and type of educational expectations as well as the number of applications submitted. Through a series of Heckman selection models, as well as a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis, we can explain 85% of the gap in college application selectivity between students in the top and bottom SES quintiles. In turn, we estimate that 60% of this explained portion is due to rational action mechanisms such as grades and test scores while 35% is due to status attainment mechanisms. Finally, we reveal that SES moderates the relationship between type of expectations and application selectivity. We find that the payoff to higher expectations (in terms of selective applications) disproportionately accrues to higher-SES students

Economic growth · Economics · Higher education · Mathematics education · Social science · Social stratification · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Unpacking · Demography · Higher Education Research Studies · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Psychology

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