The positive influence of female college students on their male peers

Female college students improve the academic outcomes of their male peers. Using within-college across-cohort variation in freshman enrollment at US colleges, a one standard deviation increase in the proportion of females in a freshman cohort is associated with a half percentage point increase in graduation rates for males in that cohort, while there is no effect for females. Effects are more evident in colleges where student interactions are likely more intense - colleges with higher shares of students living on campus, in college housing, and without cars - suggesting that effects operate through changes in the college learning environment.