Skip to main content
Article
The Implicit Taxes from College Financial Aid
Journal of Public Economics (1997)
  • Aaron S. Edlin
  • Andrew W. Dick, University of Rochester
Abstract

Families who earn more or who heed the "experts'" advice and save for college typically receive less financial aid. The financial aid system therefore implicitly taxes both income and assets. We use NPSAS aid award data to estimate these implicit taxes, and find that at average-priced colleges the marginal income tax ranges from 2 to 16% and the marginal asset levy from 8 to 26%. A typical family loses aid worth about $11,000 at average-priced colleges and $15,000 at expensive colleges by accumulating an extra $50,000 in assets.

Publication Date
September, 1997
Citation Information
Aaron S. Edlin and Andrew W. Dick. "The Implicit Taxes from College Financial Aid" Journal of Public Economics Vol. 65 (1997)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/aaron_edlin/9/