Funding Shocks and Optimal University Admissions and Financial Aid Policies

A positive shock to funding, such as a major donation, causes an optimizing university to raise its admissions standards and reduce tuition charges net of financial aid across all student categories. However, the shock’s effect on enrollment may not be uniform. Student categories given little weight in the university’s objective function may be treated as “inferior goods,” that is, positive shocks decrease their enrollments, while other student categories’ enrollments are increased. The paper’s findings shed light on the effect of federal direct-to-student aid on tuition levels, permitting a new perspective on William Bennett’s controversial hypothesis that aid accommodates tuition hikes. (JEL I22, L31) 1 I am grateful to Ron Ehrenberg, Scott Savage, Brad Wimmer, and an anonymous referee for useful advice and comments. Special thanks to Marilyn Brown for helping to track down a key paper.