Can information change preferences for higher education? Evidence from a randomised experiment in Colombia

In the present study, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to investigate the impact of providing information on students’ higher education preferences. These preferences were elicited using a discrete choice experiment. The study included 2652 10th-grade low-income Colombian students, all of whom intended to pursue tertiary education. The findings indicate that students who received basic information about higher education, with a focus on financial aid and tuition costs, exhibited an increased preference for higher-quality institutions and a decreased preference for public institutions. Furthermore, changes in preferences were observed, particularly among females and individuals from the most vulnerable backgrounds. A follow-up was also conducted on the actual choices made by the surveyed individuals, which were documented in administrative records. Despite the limited statistical power, given that only 29.7% of the surveyed individuals ultimately enrolled in higher education, it was found that these actual choices were indeed related to the preferences that had been elicited.