Information on Education Tax Credits & College Enrollment Decisions

Last registered on January 28, 2014

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Information on Education Tax Credits & College Enrollment Decisions

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0000229

First published

January 28, 2014, 11:26 AM EST

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

North America

Primary Investigator

Name

Dayanand Manoli

Affiliation

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Jeff Denning

PI Affiliation

University of Texas at Austin

PI Name

Peter Bergman

PI Affiliation

Teachers College, Columbia University

Additional Trial Information

Status

On going

Start date

2013-10-01

End date

2015-12-31

Keywords

Education, Finance & Microfinance

Additional Keywords

tax-code, college enrollment

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Abstract

The United States federal income tax provides tax benefits for households with college-enrolled students. Nonetheless, the complexity of the tax code may prevent eligible individuals from fully taking advantage of this financial aid for college. In this project, we test the hypothesis that providing information on tax benefits for college enrollment can increase college attendance. The research is based on a randomized mailing experiment conducted in collaboration with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In the experiment, we will randomly select applicants to receive information on federal tax benefits related to college-enrolled dependents will be mailed to households with student children who are considering college attendance. The analysis will measure the impact of providing this tax-benefit information on college application and enrollment outcomes. This experiment will be implemented beginning in the Fall of 2013, with outcome data becoming available by late Fall of 2014.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Bergman, Peter, Jeff Denning and Dayanand Manoli. 2014. "Information on Education Tax Credits & College Enrollment Decisions." AEA RCT Registry. January 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.229-1.0

Former Citation

Bergman, Peter, Jeff Denning and Dayanand Manoli. 2014. "Information on Education Tax Credits & College Enrollment Decisions." AEA RCT Registry. January 28. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/229/history/992

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2013-11-06

Intervention End Date

2014-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

increase take-up of tax credits and/or college enrollment

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Hidden until trial end date.

Experimental Design Details

At the end of each month in Fall 2013, mailing addresses will be collected by THECB for newly registered applicants. The research team will then randomize addresses into the treatment group or the control group. Addresses in the control group will not receive any treatment. Addresses in the treatment group will be mailed a one-page notice. The mailings will be completed by March 2013 or earlier. Information on college enrollment decisions will become available at THECB in the Fall of 2014. We will conduct the empirical analysis once this outcome data is available and we expect to complete a paper for academic publication by the end of 2015.

Randomization Method

Randomization done in office by a computer

Randomization Unit

applicants

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

200,000 applicants

Sample size: planned number of observations

200,000 applicants

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

The exact sample size will be determined by the number of applicants and the THECB data, but we anticipate it will be roughly 100,000 treatment applicants and 100,000 control applicants. This estimate is based on the number of applicants that THECB reported to us for 2013.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB