Hidden sacrifices: discrete choice experiment evaluating students’ “willingness to pay” for better grades in Portugal

This paper implements a Discrete Choice Experiment, with a sample of Portuguese college students, to quantify the stated sacrifices students are willing to make in hypothetical exam-period scenarios to achieve better grades. Results show that students are willing to sacrifice one hour of sleep per day during the exam season (from two to three) for an increase of 1.36 points in their GPA (0–20 scale); to reduce one hour of leisure time per day (from two to one), to increase their GPA by 1.67; study three more hours per day during the exam season (from five to eight) to increase their GPA by 1.66; and accept a shift from slightly to severely depressed symptom state (per survey definitions) to increase their GPA by 3.83. First and second year students place higher valuation on GPA and lower valuation on mental health than third year students or higher. All trade-off estimates reflect stated preferences expressed in the survey. Policy makers must be mindful of the trade-offs faced by students and of possible stated preference heterogeneity.