@EdWorkingPaper{ai24-1055,
title = "Distance to Degrees: How College Proximity Shapes StudentsÕ Enrollment Choices and Attainment Across Race-Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status",
author = "Riley Acton, Kalena E. Cortes, Lois Miller, Camila Morales",
institution = "Annenberg Institute at Brown University",
number = "1055",
year = "2024",
month = "October",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai24-1055",
abstract = {Leveraging rich data on the universe of Texas high school graduates, we estimate how the relationship between geographic access to public two- and four-year postsecondary institutions and postsecondary outcomes varies across race-ethnicity and socioeconomic status. We find that students are sensitive to the distance they must travel to access public colleges and universities, but there are heterogeneous effects across students Š particularly with regard to distance to public two-year colleges (i.e., community colleges). White, Asian, and higher-income students who live in a community college desert (i.e., at least 30 minutes driving time from the nearest public two-year college) substitute towards four-year colleges and are more likely to complete bachelorÕs degrees. Meanwhile, Black, Hispanic, and lower-income students respond to living in a community college desert by forgoing college enrollment altogether, reducing the likelihood that they earn associateÕs and reducing the likelihood that they ultimately transfer to four-year colleges and earn bachelorÕs degrees. These relationships persist up to eight years following high school graduation, resulting in substantial long-term gaps in overall degree attainment by race-ethnicity and income in areas with limited postsecondary access.},
}