Attractive Students Have Better Chance of Finishing College

Looks, as it turns out, do matter.

A new study on the success rates of college students takes into account the attractiveness of the student. Those who were found to have above average looks ended up having a better chance of earning a four-year degree than those who were found to be less attractive.

The study s being published online this week in a book called “Physical Attractiveness and the Accumulation of Social and Human Capital in Adolescence and Young Adulthood,” co-authored by Rachel Gordon, a professor of sociology at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The study looked into how looks affected a high school student’s performance in terms of GPA as well as future success down the road.

Other research has found that attractive people generally do better in attaining better pay and promotions. Gordon told USA Today that this stems partly from getting a jump in high school due to better looks resulting in higher GPAs.

“The attractive do have a GPA advantage over the average,” Gordon told USA Today.

Gordon co-wrote the study with Robert Crosnoe, the Elsie and Stanley E. (Skinny) Adams Sr. Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin; and Xue Wang, a graduate from the doctoral program in sociology at the University of Illinois – Chicago.

The study tracked the success of almost 9,000 students in college. Overall, one third of the students graduated, and of those students, those deemed at least somewhat attractive graduated at a rate three percentage points higher than others.

The success rate was about the same for those found to be most attractive and those who were found to be above average – which indicates that the important thing, in terms of attractiveness in the study, was to be above average, according to an article from Inside Higher Education. Students didn’’t need to be among the top tier of attractive people to get the benefits found in the study.

Students were assessed on a five-point scale. Researchers used a list of attractive qualities to judge students so that their own bias did not influence the scores.

There are some disadvantages to being attractive, according to the study. For example, those with above average looks tend to date more, have more sexual partners and participate in more heavy drinking.

Gordon told USA Today that the study is an important step in understanding the influence of good looks and helping teachers and students move past them to more substantial issues.

Gordon said the topic is important “given that it’s been looked at so little in academic literature.”

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