ECON 3770

Inequality in U.S. Higher Education

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Is the U.S. college system a great equalizer or a cause of growing inequality? Improved access to higher education has brought millions of Americans into the middle class, and yet rising selectivity has meant that a disproportionate share of the economic elite come from a few top colleges. This course will explore the three big parts of the college experience --- (1) admissions and the college-going decision; (2) education while in college; and (3) college completion and labor market entry --- and ask how each part contributes to inequality in economic outcomes. Lectures and readings will focus on simple economic theories of higher education as well as the empirical methods used to test these theories.

Prerequisites ILRLE 2400, ECON 3030 or equivalent.

Distribution Requirements (D-AG, SBA-AG), (ICE-IL, QP-IL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP, 2020SP

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