Peer effects in higher education

Last registered on August 19, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Peer effects in higher education
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019306
Initial registration date
August 06, 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
August 19, 2026, 9:29 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
Auke de Jong
Affiliation
Erasmus University Rotterdam
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Dinand Webbink
PI Affiliation
Eramus University Rotterdam
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PI Name
Sacha Kapoor
PI Affiliation
Erasmus University Rotterdam
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-07-01
End date
2029-08-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This project studies how the composition of student peer groups influences educational outcomes in higher education. Students in several first-year programs are assigned to classes using alternative class formation procedures, generating variation in peer composition. The study uses administrative and survey data to examine associations between peer characteristics, academic outcomes, and student experiences during the first year of study.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
de Jong, Auke, Sacha Kapoor and Dinand Webbink. 2026. "Peer effects in higher education." AEA RCT Registry. August 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19306-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-08-11
Intervention End Date
2027-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Primary outcomes include measures of educational progression, academic performance, programme continuation, and student experience during the first year of study. See the pre-analysis-plan for more details.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Student experience measures are constructed from items collected through standard institutional surveys. Selected items are combined into composite measures based on established scales from the educational research literature. See the pre-analysis-plan for more details.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study takes place in several first-year programmes at a Higher Education institution. Students are assigned to classes according to alternative class formation procedures. The resulting variation in peer composition is used to estimate the effects of peer characteristics on academic and non-academic outcomes.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Randomization at the class level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Ca. 120 classes
Sample size: planned number of observations
Ca. 2800 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Ca. 900 students
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Erasmus School of Economics IRB-NE
IRB Approval Date
2026-06-22
IRB Approval Number
ETH2526-0859, ETH2526-0660
Analysis Plan

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