Closing the gap or widening the divide: The effects' of the GI Bill and World War II on the educational outcomes of black Americans

The effects of the GI Bill on collegiate attainment may have differed for black and white Americans owing to differential returns to education and differences in opportunities at colleges and universities, with men in the South facing explicitly segregated colleges. The empirical evidence suggests that World War 11 and the availability of GI benefits had a substantial and positive impact on the educational attainment of white men and black men born outside the South. However, for those black veterans likely to be limited to the South in their educational choices, the GI Bill had little effect on collegiate outcomes.