Labor-Market Information and College Major Intentions

Last registered on September 09, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Labor-Market Information and College Major Intentions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019330
Initial registration date
September 01, 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
September 09, 2026, 3:42 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Louis-Pierre Lepage
Affiliation
Stockholm University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Basit Zafar
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
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PI Name
Xiaomeng Li
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-06-01
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Education, Gender, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We conduct a randomized survey experiment among undergraduate students to study whether information about labor-market outcomes affects intended college major choices. Respondents first report beliefs about labor-market outcomes and their probability of graduating with a major in STEM, Business, or Economics (STEM/BE). They are then randomly assigned with equal probability to receive information about: (i) workplace experiences of recent graduates or (ii) college enrollment rates by gender, which serves as the control condition. We test whether the workplace-experience treatment affects intentions to major in STEM/BE relative to the control condition, namely by student gender, and how it depends on the difference between respondents' priors and the information given to them.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lepage, Louis-Pierre, Xiaomeng Li and Basit Zafar. 2026. "Labor-Market Information and College Major Intentions." AEA RCT Registry. September 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19330-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-09-02
Intervention End Date
2026-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcomes are i) the respondent's reported percent chance of graduating with a STEM/BE major after receiving the information and ii) the respondent's reported percent chance of recommending an undecided student to go into STEM/BE after receiving the information.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
The survey elicits the same 0–100 probability measure before and again after respondents receive the information.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will consider expected workplace experiences after receiving the information.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
The survey elicits the same 0–100 probability measure of expected workplace discrimination before and again after respondents receive the information.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Respondents will be randomly assigned at the individual level, with probability 60-40, to one of two conditions:
• Workplace-information treatment: information about workplace experiences of recent graduates in STEM/BE and non-STEM/BE, by gender.
• Control: information about college enrolment rates by gender.

The survey elicits respondents' beliefs and major intentions both before and after the information treatment.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Treatment is randomized by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Treatment is assigned at the individual respondent level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600-800 students, but we will stop data collection before if response rates are too low to achieve this number.
Sample size: planned number of observations
600-800 students
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
60% in treatment, 40% in control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Michigan Institutional Review Board – Health Sciences and Behavioral Sciences (IRB-HSBS)
IRB Approval Date
2026-08-18
IRB Approval Number
HUM00242642
Analysis Plan