Closing the Gap: The Effect of Reducing Complexity and Uncertainty in College Pricing on the Choices of Low-Income Students

High-achieving, low-income students attend selective colleges at far lower rates than upper-income students with similar achievement. Behavioral biases, intensified by complexity and uncertainty in the admissions and aid process, may explain this gap. In a large-scale experiment we test an early commitment of free tuition at a flagship university. The intervention did not increase aid: rather, students were guaranteed before application the same grant aid that they would qualify for in expectation if admitted. The offer substantially increased application (68 percent versus 26 percent) and enrollment rates (27 percent versus 12 percent). The results suggest that uncertainty, present bias, and loss aversion loom large in students’ college decisions. (JEL I22, I23, I24, D31, I28)

Assessing the Effects of University Reputation and City Image on International Student Destination Choice: Evidence from a Flagship University in Taipei

University reputation and destination image are key factors shaping the choice to study in developed Western countries. While East Asia is emerging as a new contender in the international higher education market, little is known about how international students perceive and are attracted to the higher education institutions in this region. Moreover, while the destination image was represented by the host country image in most studies, the effect of city image on study destination choice should be given more attention due to the geographic and social embeddedness of universities in cities. This study drew the survey data from a flagship university in Taipei to examine the impact of university reputation and city image on international student destination choice, and employed factor analysis to identify the dimensions of university reputation and city image. The analysis confirms university reputation and city image as important elements in international student destination choice in the Asian context. It further identifies four factors creating discrepant weighting of these two elements in study destination choice: degree/non-degree program, level of study, type of international student identity, and region of origin. Theoretical and policy implications of findings are discussed at the end of the paper.

Identification and support of gifted children within the framework of school-university networks

Introduction. The article examines the potential of school-university partnership programmes for gifted and talented children. The purpose of this study is to determine the mechanisms for identifying and supporting gifted children by means school-university networks. Materials and Methods. To achieve this goal, the authors have reviewed a considerable amount of literature on giftedness, identification and support of gifted children with a focus on establishing school-university networks. A sample of leadership and teaching staff (n = 149) representing 44 municipalities of the Krasnodar Krai (Russian Federation) was surveyed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of identification, support and guidance of gifted students. The analysis of university websites was carried out in order to reveal the existing practices of partnerships with secondary and supplementary education settings aimed at identification and support of gifted children. To solve the revealed problems of gifted education, a model of school-university network encompassing the flagship university and secondary and supplementary education settings has been developed. Results. The study has revealed the following problems of provision for gifted and talented students: unrecognized special giftedness; underestimation of career guidance for gifted students; insufficient attention to social and emotional issues in the development of gifted children; lack of continuity in provision for gifted and talented individuals at different levels of education. The authors propose a model of the network between the flagship university and secondary education settings aimed at solving the above mentioned problems. The research findings include procedures of identifying and supporting gifted children by means of school-university partnership programmes for 9 domains of giftedness (academic (intellectual), technical, entrepreneurial, communicative, leadership, emotional, sports, artistic and vocational) in corresponding types of career-oriented activities (educational, research, scientific; technical design, business design, business communication, management, volunteering, sports, artistic creativity, production) using the facilities and human resources of the flagship university. Conclusions. The conclusion can be drawn that identification and support of gifted children and adolescents must be carried out in close connection with career guidance, taking into account the needs of the regional labor market. Building partnerships of the university, comprehensive secondary schools and supplementary education settings contribute to solving this problem.

Formula for Success

The article is devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Volgograd State Technical University (VSTU). The author views the components of the success formula of the University as a flagship University of the Volgograd region, and dwells on the historical facts of the creation of the Stalingrad tractor-building Institute at the beginning of the country’s industrialization and its development to a flagship University, which is a modern multi-campus University with a promising educational, scientific and industrial infrastructure. The article also presents the scientific schools of well-known scientists of the University that carry out fundamental and applied scientific research as well as the international activities of the University, including international cooperation in research, creation and modernization of educational programs, and export of educational services. In its multi-faceted activities, the flagship University focuses on solving urgent problems of socio-economic development of the region. The hybrid model of the flagship University is focused mainly on two typical models: «multi-disciplinary regional University» and «technology leader in the region». The article considers a number of systemic and structural transformations of the University in the framework of a hybrid model: an effective management system for supporting innovation, including socio-psychological attitudes and infrastructure changes; the development of additional education and the creation of conditions for business development.