Everyone Wants to Win: Even the Admissions Officers

Abstract

Beginning each year around August, prospective college-goers begin filling out their applications to send off to institutions where they may end up for the next four years. The elements that go into this decision include the academic quality of the institution, the campus climate, and for some, the athletic successes the school has achieved in previous years. My research focuses on the last of these elements, as I assessed how collegiate athletics at the highest level impact postsecondary institutional metrics. In doing so, I found significant evidence that football success leads to increased applications, first-year enrollment, and reported SAT scores.

Working paper can be downloaded here