Eric Bettinger is Associate Professor of Education and Economics in the Stanford University School of Education. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University. Dr. Bettinger’s current research focuses on factors that improve students’ access to and success in college. His work aims to bring understanding of these cause-and-effect relationships in higher education. Some of these factors include the role of teacher characteristics and class sizes in college, the role of need-based financial aid, and the complexity of the college application process. He has also conducted significant research on the effects of financial incentives for students and the effects of voucher programs on both academic and non-academic outcomes of participating students. His most recent work focuses on the effects of FAFSA simplification on students’ collegiate outcomes.