The Influence of Prices and Price Subsidies on Within-Year Persistence by Students in Proprietary Schools

Abstract

This article uses the 1987 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study to assess the influence of prices and price subsidies on within-year persistence by students enrolled in proprietary schools. The study found that African Americans and Hispanics and students who have not attained their high school degrees were more likely to persist, indicating that proprietary schools provide opportunities for the historically disadvantaged. Further, tuition charges have a substantial negative influence on within-year persistence by proprietary students.