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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01c534fr83n
Title: Best and Brightest? The Impact of Student Visa Restrictiveness on Who Attends College in the US
Authors: Chen, Mingyu
Howell, Jessica
Smith, Jonathan
Keywords: Human capital investment
migration
international student
F-1 student visa
immigration policy
JEL classification: I21, I23, F22, J15
Issue Date: Apr-2020
Series/Report no.: 640
Abstract: The F-1 student visa program brings more educated migrants to the US than any other immigration program, yet student visa applicants face an approximately 27 percent visa refusal rate that varies by time and region. Using data on the universe of SAT takers between 2004 and 2015 matched with college enrollment records, we examine how the anticipated F-1 visa restrictiveness influences US undergraduate enrollment outcomes of international students. Using an instrumental variables approach, we find that a higher anticipated F-1 student visa refusal rate decreases the number of international SAT takers, decreases the probability of sending SAT scores to US colleges, and decreases international student enrollment in the US. The decreases are larger among international students with higher measured academic achievement. We also document academic achievement of international students and show that over 40 percent of high-scoring international SAT takers do not pursue US college education.
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01c534fr83n
Appears in Collections:IRS Working Papers

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