Foreign Students in College and the Supply of STEM Graduates

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Labor Economics
Year: 2023
Volume: 41
Issue: 2
Pages: 511 - 563

Authors (3)

Massimo Anelli (Universita' Bocconi - Dipartim...) Kevin Shih (not in RePEc) Kevin Williams (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Do foreign students affect the likelihood that domestic students obtain a STEM degree and occupation? Using administrative student records from a US university, we exploit idiosyncratic variation in the share of foreign classmates in introductory math classes and find that foreign classmates displace domestic students from STEM majors and occupations. However, displaced students gravitate toward high-earning social science majors, so their expected earnings are not penalized. We explore several mechanisms. Results indicate that displacement is concentrated in classes where foreign classmates possess weak English language ability, suggesting that diminished in-class communication and social interactions might play an important role.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/719964
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24