STEM graduates and secondary school curriculum does early exposure to science matter?

This work explores the effect of strengthening the science curriculum in secondary school on STEM university education. By exploiting the staggered implementation of a reform that encouraged secondary schools in England to offer more science courses to 14-year-olds, I find that taking five more hours per week of science classes increases considerably the probability of enrolling in and graduating with a STEM degree. These results mask substantial gender heterogeneity—more exposure to science only increases boys’ likelihood of enrolling in a STEM degree. Treated girls, although induced to choose more challenging degrees, still opt for more female-dominated (mostly non-STEM) ones.