High Tution, High Aid and Institutional Competitiveness

Authors

• Sihao Wang '28, DePauw University
• Naima Shifa, DePauw UniversityFollow

Files

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 10-1-2026

Abstract

This study examines how entry into a high-tuition, high-aid (HTHA) pricing regime relates to institutional competitiveness among U.S. private nonprofit four-year colleges. Using IPEDS data from 2003–2022 and a cohort-stacked event-study difference-in-differences design, the analysis finds that HTHA entry is associated with a 1.66-percentage-point increase in full-time admission yield. Admission rates and ACT/SAT profiles show no comparably clear average changes. The findings suggest that HTHA operates primarily through admitted-student conversion and enrollment management, although the estimates remain sensitive to institution-specific trends and should be interpreted as conditional associations.

Department

Department of Mathematics, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN

Project Mentor

Prof. Naima Shifa

Funding and Acknowledgements

Funded by the Faculty Development Committee

Recommended Citation

Wang, Sihao '28 and Shifa, Naima, "High Tution, High Aid and Institutional Competitiveness" (2026). Annual Student Research Poster Session. 253.
https://scholarship.depauw.edu/srfposters/253