Authors
Suzanne Duryea, Rafael Ribas, Breno Sampaio, and Giuseppe Trevisan
Abstract
We investigate the effect of admission to a top-quality, tuition free university on future criminal charges. Using data on students’ application to a public university and the universe of criminal records in Brazil, we document that admitted students are 69% less likely to be prosecuted in the decade following application. This effect is mostly driven by a reduction in violent crimes among low-income men. Changes in educational attainment, incapacitation, financial distress, unemployment, and earnings do not explain our findings. Our results suggest that the returns to expanding access of low-income students to high-quality universities extend far beyond job opportunities.