The Effect of Georgia's Hope Scholarship on College Major: A Focus on Stem

56 Pages Posted: 7 Mar 2015

See all articles by David L. Sjoquist

David L. Sjoquist

Georgia State University

John V. Winters

Iowa State University - Department of Economics

Abstract

There is growing concern in the U.S. that the nation is producing too few college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and there is a desire to understand how various policies affect college major decisions. This paper first uses student administrative records from the University System of Georgia to examine whether Georgia's HOPE Scholarship has affected students' college major decisions, with a focus on STEM majors. We find consistent evidence that HOPE reduced the likelihood that a USG student earned a degree with a major in a STEM field. The paper explores alternative reasons why HOPE reduced the likelihood of earning a STEM major.

Keywords: merit aid, HOPE Scholarship, college major, STEM

JEL Classification: I23, J24

Suggested Citation

Sjoquist, David L. and Winters, John V., The Effect of Georgia's Hope Scholarship on College Major: A Focus on Stem. IZA Discussion Paper No. 8875, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2575055 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2575055

David L. Sjoquist (Contact Author)

Georgia State University ( email )

P.O. Box 3992
Atlanta, GA 30302-3992
United States
404-413-0246 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://frp.aysps.gsu.edu/sjoquist/index.html

John V. Winters

Iowa State University - Department of Economics ( email )

260 Heady Hall
Ames, IA 50011
United States

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