The effects of a dedicated education savings account on children's college graduation

•Savings accounts positively affect the likelihood of earning a college degree.•Savings accounts are more predictive of a 4-year college degree than a 2-year degree.•Assetbased programs might be a desirable strategy to improve educational attainment.

Emerging research in the asset-building field suggests economic resources in general are associated with positive educational outcomes. However, there is little empirical evidence specifically concerning the effects of parents holding a dedicated education savings account on their children's attainment of associate's and bachelor's degrees. There is a need for more replication studies to help confirm that the emerging evidence is accurate and applicable with different populations and under different situations. This study helps fill this research gap by using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97. Data are analyzed using propensity score adjusted regression techniques. Results show if parents create a savings account earmarked for their children's education, the children are more likely to attain college degrees. These findings suggest that current asset-based policies and programs that encourage low- and moderate-income parents to create and hold education savings accounts can also serve as a policy strategy to help improve higher educational attainment of children from lower income households.