Peer Influence in College Applications

 This paper studies how exposure to peers affects college application behavior using neighbors who attend different high schools to mitigate concerns about common shocks. Using granular classroom-level data, the authors find that exposure to peers who have applied to a program increases application rates. Consistent with an information mechanism, there is no additional effect of peers who are admitted. In counterfactuals, the effect is large enough to close urban-rural gaps and gender gaps in applications to selective college programs.