Full Cost of Attendance Scholarships and College Choice: Evidence from NCAA Football
Department
Economics, Finance and Quantitative Analysis
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-17-2017
Abstract
In 2015, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I schools were permitted to cover the “full cost of attendance” as a part of athletic scholarships for the first time, which allowed schools to provide modest living stipends to its athletes. Differences in cost-of-attendance allotments across schools have the potential to affect the allocation of talent, with higher stipends attracting better student-athletes. Using recently published cost-of-attendance data, we estimate the impact of cost-of-attendance allowances on college football recruiting. Estimates reveal that cost-of-attendance scholarship allowances were positively associated with football recruiting quality immediately following their implementation, indicating that the modest differences in stipends swayed student-athletes’ college choice.
Journal Title
Journal of Sports Economics
Journal ISSN
1527-0025
First Page
1
Last Page
13
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1177/1527002517696958