Abstract
Geography of opportunity research has identified places with few or no college options: so-called “education deserts.” This study extends this geography of opportunity research, exploring how geographical constraints affect students’ choices, particularly the choice to attend a for-profit college. Using the Education Longitudinal Study 2002 (ELS: 2002) and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we measure the number of college options within students’ commuting zones in the United States. When there are any for-profit colleges in a commuting zone, students are more likely to attend them and less likely to attend community colleges. Additionally, when there are any public two-year colleges in a commuting zone, there is a negligible impact on enrollment in for-profit colleges. This finding shows evidence of public-private competition and crowd-out in post-secondary education. Also, the presence of community colleges within education deserts makes community colleges a more favorable choice over for-profit colleges.