Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/263487 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15271
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper studies whether universities should select their students only using specialised subject-specific tests or based on a broader set of skills and knowledge. I show that even if broader skills are not improving graduates' outcomes in the labour market, the university chooses to use them as a criterion for selection alongside the mastery of more subject-specific tools. Empirically, I exploit the variation between subject-specific and non-specific entrance exam sets on Portuguese students' large administrative dataset. My central finding is that, on average, universities with less specialised admission policies admit a pool of students who obtain a higher final GPA.
Subjects: 
university choice
admission tests
job market
general skills
JEL: 
I23
I24
I28
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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