The Origins and Consequences of Selective College Attendance through a Genetic Lens: The Effects of Social Background and Genetic Endowment on College Selectivity and Earnings

Scholars have paid increasing attention to qualitative differences within the same education level as they are impacted by upstream factors such as family resources, and, in turn, as they affect later outcomes such as earnings. In this vein, studies have investigated whether differences in “quality” across similar quantities of education serve as a primary mechanism through which high-SES families transmit advantage dynastically. For instance, Chetty et al. (2020) claim that college attendance, especially at selective colleges, eliminates almost all family background effects on earnings—though it remains possible that this is not a treatment effect of college per se but rather results from a dynamic process whereby the ability selection gradient for college admissions is steeper for lower-SES students. In this research tradition, few studies have examined the role of genetic inheritance of ability; here we argue that the recent addition of genetic data to social scientific surveys provides an important tool with which one can examine how ability inherited through biological mechanisms is correlated with social origins, on the one hand, and contributes to horizontal educational stratification, on the other. Additionally, we examine the role of differences in college quality as a mediator of genetic effects on labor market outcomes. Results from analysis of data from Add Health show the following: First, the genetic potential for educational attainment is positively associated with college degree attainment, the quality of colleges respondents graduate, and individual earnings in middle age. Second, we find that lower SES students evince a higher correlation between the genetic potential and college selectivity, thus raising questions about the leveling effect of elite college attendance. Third, we find supportive evidence for the thesis of college completion serving as a great equalizer even after considering genetic potential, but not for the equalizing role of college selectivity.