We examine differences in minority science graduation rates among University of California campuses when racial preferences were in place. Less-prepared minorities at higherranked campuses had lower persistence rates in science and took longer to graduate. We estimate a model of students college major choice where net returns of a science major differ across campuses and student preparation. We find less-prepared minority students at top-ranked campuses would have higher science graduation rates had they attended lowerranked campuses. Better matching of science students to universities by preparation and providing information about students prospects in different major-university combinations could increase minority science graduation.

Dropouts have high crime rates, but is there a direct causal link? This study, utilizing administrative data for six cohorts of public school children in North Carolina, demonstrates that those born just after the cut date for enrolling in public kindergarten are more likely to drop out of high school before graduation and to commit a felony offense by age 19. We present suggestive evidence that dropout mediates criminal involvement. Paradoxically, these late-entry students outperform their grade peers academically while still in school, which helps account for the fact that they are less likely to become juvenile delinquents. (JEL H75, I21, J13, J24, K42)

No abstract

We examine differences in minority science graduation rates among University of California campuses when racial preferences were in place. Less-prepared minorities at higherranked campuses had lower persistence rates in science and took longer to graduate. We estimate a model of students college major choice where net returns of a science major differ across campuses and student preparation. We find less-prepared minority students at top-ranked campuses would have higher science graduation rates had they attended lowerranked campuses. Better matching of science students to universities by preparation and providing information about students prospects in different major-university combinations could increase minority science graduation.