Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/232725 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 13973
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We study gender differences in decision-making strategy when applying for college using applications data for all college applicants in Ireland over the 2015-17 period. Detailed information on high school subjects and grades enable us to examine how the college choices of equally achieving students differ by gender. We find that female students better balance the opportunity to aim for highly selective programmes with their top choices while also listing programmes with lower entry requirements so as to reduce their risk of not being admitted to any programme. We also find that females favour field of study over institution with their top 3 choices being more likely to cluster on field of study and less likely to be for a particular college. When we investigate how effects differ across the achievement distribution, we find that gender differences in risk management are concentrated amongst high achieving students.
Subjects: 
gender differences
college applications
risk management
JEL: 
I2
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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