Cleveland Fed researcher finds little evidence that affirmative action bans result in migration across state lines to attend college

In this Economic Commentary, Cleveland Fed researcher Peter Hinrichs studies whether or not students move across state lines to attend college in response to an affirmative action ban.

The results provide little evidence that affirmative action bans lead to migration to attend college across state lines, and thus do not support the view that interstate migration for college is a cause for concern when assessing the merits of affirmative action policies. The results also bear on forthcoming research from Hinrichs which finds that affirmative actions has had mixed effects on segregation.

Read more: Do Affirmative Action Bans Cause Students to Move Across State Lines to Attend College?

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that along with the Board of Governors in Washington DC comprise the Federal Reserve System. Part of the US central bank, the Cleveland Fed participates in the formulation of our nation’s monetary policy, supervises banking organizations, provides payment and other services to financial institutions and to the US Treasury, and performs many activities that support Federal Reserve operations System-wide. In addition, the Bank supports the well-being of communities across the Fourth Federal Reserve District through a wide array of research, outreach, and educational activities.

The Cleveland Fed, with branches in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, serves an area that comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

Media contact

Doug Campbell, doug.campbell@clev.frb.org, 513.455.4479