AI and Study Choice

Last registered on May 18, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
AI and Study Choice
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018636
Initial registration date
May 18, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
May 18, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Friederike Hertweck
Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Luis Rumert
PI Affiliation
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
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PI Name
Rosa Ricarda Wolf
PI Affiliation
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology
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PI Name
Pia Schilling
PI Affiliation
University of Konstanz
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-05-18
End date
2027-11-01
Keywords
Behavior, Education
Additional Keywords
Interview, AI, Survey Method
JEL code(s)
C83, C93, D81, D83, I20, I23
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how high-school students form beliefs and plans about post-graduation academic programs, and how targeted information shapes these choices. Using a chatbot-based interaction system powered by agent AI using large language models (LLMs), we conduct large-scale conversational interviews with students across Germany to elicit their interests, expectations, and intended educational trajectories as well as the reasoning of those.
Embedded in the chatbot is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to identify the causal effect of two informational treatments: (i) personalized guidance on educational and occupational pathways aligned with each student's mentioned trajectory, and (ii) concrete examples of institutions offering these and alternative pathways. This design enables us to measure whether these types of information meaningfully shift students' beliefs about their educational futures.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Hertweck, Friederike et al. 2026. "AI and Study Choice." AEA RCT Registry. May 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18636-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Upon entering an App, the students are randomly assigned to one of three arms.
The chatbot begins with a semi-structured pre-treatment interview that is the same for all students independent of their treatment group. It walks each student through their post-graduation plans like Post-graduation plans (field of study, location preferences), reasons, perceived fit and elicits their expected returns.

1) The control group can ask questions and receives answers from verified sources, but gets no proactive information.
2) Treatment 1 additionally provides a short, general overview of the fields (of study or vocational training) the student named — typical content, key skills, entry requirements, and common career paths. Students are then encouraged to ask further questions about the given content that the chatbot will answer from verified sources.
3) Treatment 2 builds on Treatment 1 by adding information on specific study programs at German higher education institutions matching the student's interests. Students are then encouraged to ask further questions about the given content that the chatbot will answer from verified sources .
All chatbot responses draw on verified counseling sources.
Intervention Start Date
2026-05-18
Intervention End Date
2026-08-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1) Perceived match and belief updating
2) Choice revision or precision
3) Subjective uncertainty or confidence in choosing study fields
4) Match quality index
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
1) Information Provision (information that is perceived as missing for informed decision)
2) Changes in use of language
3) Engagement and interest
4) Uncertainty reduction
5) Long term study outcome
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
2) Changes in use of language will include an analysis of sentiment emotions, congnitive processing and self-efficacy and linguistic complexity.
3) Engagement and interest will include Information demand in the open chat, response intensity, and exploration behavior.
4) Uncertainty reduction will include an analysis of their structure for future steps, their evaluation of the usefulness of the chatbot and their language uncertainty

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is intended for high school students from academic or comprehensive tracks, that graduate with their A-levels in 2027 (Approximately 17/18 years old).
Students will download an app, whose use is preceded by the interview and intervention as well as a baseline survey. Students are randomized in one of the three treatment groups upon sign up.
Endline questions will be asked directly after intervention. After the completion of the endline survey all students will still be able to interact with the chatbot. A follow up survey in September 2027 will reveal realized study fields of participating students.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization happens upon app sign up by the app.
Randomization Unit
The treatment is randomized on the individual level (survey respondent) and not stratified.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered
Sample size: planned number of observations
Planned sample size is 15.000 Students in all of Germany
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
5000 observations per treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne
IRB Approval Date
2026-03-25
IRB Approval Number
260010MS
Analysis Plan

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