A comparative analysis of the demand for higher education: results from a meta-analysis of elasticities

Abstract

Studies of the demand for higher education have produced numerous estimates of the tuition and income elasticities. Because of widespread variation in the models estimated, this paper performs a meta-analysis of the literature to uncover the extent to which study characteristics influence elasticities. In addition to being more inelastic in the short-run, the results reveal that demand is least responsive to tuition and income in the United States. Also, the measure of quantity and price, coupled with the method of estimation, have important effects on the tuition elasticity. Nonetheless, there are many study characteristics that have little impact on elasticity estimates.