https://macropaperwarehouse.com/authors/jack-mountjoy/Jack MountjoyHugo -- gohugo.ioen-ushttps://macropaperwarehouse.com/papers/marginal-returns-to-public-universities/https://macropaperwarehouse.com/papers/marginal-returns-to-public-universities/<p>This paper asks whether enrolling in an American public university generates positive net returns for marginal students — those who barely qualify for admission — and whether those returns justify public expenditures. The question is policy-relevant because marginal students have weak academic preparation, face high dropout risk, and the net returns to expanding admission margins are theoretically ambiguous.</p> <p>The author assembles administrative records spanning all 35 public universities in Texas, covering the universe of Texas public high school graduates from 2004–2014 (approximately 2.7 million students). Texas public universities collectively enroll over 10 percent of all American public university students. The data link high school records (test scores, demographics, coursework, attendance, disciplinary infractions) to college application and admission records, postsecondary enrollment and degree completion records, financial aid packages, institutional expenditure data from IPEDS, and quarterly earnings records from the Texas Workforce Commission unemployment insurance system.</p>