Social Information and Educational Investment—Nudging Remedial Math Course Participation

Abstract Using field experiments, I investigate if provision of (social) information can increase incoming university students' attendance in a voluntary remedial math course. In Intervention 1, treated students receive an invitation letter with or without about past sign-up rate for the 2, among those who signed up course, reminder letters including excluding on how helpful course had been evaluated by previous students. On average, no treatment increases participation but further analyses reveal that effects 1 are heterogeneous along two dimensions: First, suggesting salience as mechanism, both types raise enroll late their study program, which turn first-year performance and closes achievement gap to early enrollees. Second, effect depends predicted ex-ante probability. Students whose probability falls just short participation, while opposite is true exceeds social information. Along this dimension, however, changes do not carry over academic achievements.