A Longitudinal Analysis of Contextual Exposure to Peers with College Educated Parents and Students' College Enrollment

Kate H. Choi, University of Texas at Austin
Kelly Raley, University of Texas at Austin
Chandra Muller, University of Texas at Austin
Catherine Riegle-Crumb, University of Texas at Austin

Students with college educated parents are more likely to attain higher levels of education than students of parents with lower levels of education. Past research has explained this favorable outcome as the result of advantageous placement and greater availability of educational resources. Using data from Add Health and AHAA, we find evidence that exposure to students of college educated parents at the school level and within courses increase the likelihood of four year college enrollment even after controlling for family background, achievement, and placement. We also found that exposure to students of college educated parents has especially strong positive effects on college enrollment for students whose own parents do not have a college degree. These findings suggest that greater exposure to students of highly educated parents at the school level and within courses partially explains the favorable educational attainment of students with college educated parents.