The Short‐term Effectiveness of a Remedial Mathematics Course: Evidence from a UK University

While there is growing debate in the USA about the effectiveness of remedial university courses, there have been fewer questions raised in the UK . Using a sharp regression discontinuity approach and data from a large School within a post‐1992 UK university, we estimate the effect of remediation on student outcomes. We find no evidence that taking a math remedial course improves student performance in the first year. This finding is consistent and complements that of a recent study by L agerlöf and S eltzer (2009, J ournal of E conomic E ducation , Vol. 40, pp. 115–136), which is based on data from a pre‐1992 UK university.