Firm Decisions and Variation across Universities in Access to High-Wage Jobs: Evidence from Employer Recruiting

Abstract

I show that firm location decisions create barriers to accessing high-wage employers for students at distant universities. I collect office locations and campus recruiting strategies for more than 70 banking and consulting firms from 2000 to 2013. After firms open an office, students at nearby universities are nearly four times more likely to have on-campus access to the firm. Access increases for universities across a wide range of selectivity. Additional data from universities, LinkedIn, and mobility report cards suggest effects on hires and longer-run income success.