Local College Availability and College Outcomes

Abstract

Geographic college access is inequitable in the United States, yet few studies examine how limited college options constrain students’ college choices and influence attainment. The first chapter of the dissertation examines the relationship between local college availability and regional degree attainment rates. The second and third chapters of the dissertation explore how Latinx college outcomes are affected by college accessibility in Texas, a state with a sizeable Latinx population and diverse geographies. These studies rely on rich administrative data sources, including student-level data from the Texas Educational Research Center (ERC) and college-level data from the Postsecondary Participants System (PEPS). These data sources are used to explore the geographic accessibility of colleges, to describe variation in accessibility by Latinx ethnicity, and to describe how local college availability affects Latinx students' college enrollment and degree attainment patterns. Finally, this data is used to examine how increases in local postsecondary availability via new college site location openings affect the outcomes of Latinx students living near these institutions. In the first chapter of the dissertation, I find that counties with greater local college availability have higher regional educational attainment rates. In the second and third chapters of the dissertation, I find that Latinx students in Texas are more likely to live in education deserts and that living in these regions is negatively related to the outcomes of Latinx students; similar relationships are not observed for non-Latinx students. Finally, I find that Latinx students living in regions where a new postsecondary site is established are more likely to enroll in four-year colleges and that the establishment of four-year college locations drives these enrollment increases. The combined studies can help researchers and policymakers better understand Latinx students’ college enrollment and completion needs. Understanding these relationships is paramount as Latinx populations continue to rise and increasingly settle in geographically isolated areas with limited postsecondary opportunities.