College Admissions Annotated Bibliography
U.S. scholarship on selectivity, early admission, applicant access, application essays, and test-optional admissions
01
SELECTIVITY
Hoxby, C. M. (2009). The changing selectivity of American colleges.
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 23
(4),
95–118. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.23.4.95
Hoxby examines how the selectivity of American colleges has changed as the higher-education sector
expanded and institutions developed different admissions strategies. The article considers changes in
applications, institutional resources, and competition among colleges and explains why selectivity is not
simply a fixed characteristic of a school. This source is useful for a college admissions bibliography
because it provides historical and economic context for understanding why admission rates and applicant
competition differ across institutions. Its broad perspective also helps a researcher avoid treating the
admissions process as a single national system.
02
EARLY ADMISSION
Avery, C., & Levin, J. (2010). Early admissions at selective colleges.
American Economic Review, 100
(5),
2125–2156. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.5.2125
This study examines early-admission policies at selective colleges and explains why applying early can
change an applicant's admission prospects and application behavior. The authors develop a model in
which early applications allow students to signal enthusiasm for a college while helping institutions
identify applicants who are especially likely to enroll. The article is useful because it treats an admissions
policy as part of a strategic interaction between colleges and students rather than as a simple deadline
choice. Its combination of descriptive evidence and economic modeling makes it valuable for research on
early decision, early action, and selective admissions.
03
LOW-INCOME APPLICANTS
Hoxby, C. M., & Avery, C. (2013). The missing “one-offs”: The hidden supply of high-achieving, low-income
students.
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Spring 2013
, 1–50.
https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.2013.0000
This study investigates why many high-achieving, low-income students do not apply to selective colleges
even when they appear academically qualified and may receive substantial financial aid. Using national
information on student achievement and college application behavior, the authors identify a group of
students whose application patterns differ sharply from those of higher-income students with similar
academic records. The source is valuable because it shows that admissions opportunity can be affected by
information, geographic outreach, and application behavior in addition to academic preparation. It
provides a strong case for studying how students and institutions interact before an admissions decision is
ever made.
