Who takes personal finance?

Abstract

Using a sample of 17,499 first-time, full-time students, we compare students who take an elective personal finance course to those that do not. Women, students with higher verbal SAT scores and GPAs, and arts and education majors are less likely to take the course, while men and business, human ecology, and social sciences majors are more likely. Mathematics SAT scores have no effect. Women earn slightly higher grades in the course than men do, on average. If enrollment can be considered a measure of interest, among traditional college students, women demonstrate less interest in personal finance than do men.