Reducing Frictions in College Admissions: Evidence from the Common Application
研究了美国通用申请平台（CA）如何通过减少申请摩擦增加学生选择，发现CA提高了学校收到的申请数量、降低了录取学生报到率，并增加了跨州入学和种族多样性。
College admissions in the United States are decentralized, creating frictions that limit student choice. We study the Common Application (CA) platform, under which students submit a single application to member schools, potentially reducing frictions and increasing student choice. The CA increases the number of applications received by schools, reflecting a reduction in frictions, and reduces the yield on accepted students, reflecting increased choice. The CA increases out-of-state enrollment, especially from other CA states, consistent with network effects. Entry into the CA changes the composition of students, with evidence of more racial diversity and more high-income students and imprecise evidence of increases in SAT scores.