Selection bias is problematic when evaluating the effects of postsecondary interventions on college students, and can lead to biased estimates of program effects. While instrumental variables can be used to account for endogeneity due to self-selection, current practice requires that all five assumptions of instrumental variables be met in order…

Loans are a central component of college finance, yet research has generated a dearth of strong evidence of their effect on student choices. This article examines challenges to causal modeling regarding the effects of borrowing and the prospects of indebtedness on students' college-going behaviors. Statistical estimates of causal effects are…