A new study by researchers at Metropolitan State University in Denver found that women that were rated attractive in an independent analysis received better grades from their professors than women who were not rated as attractive.
The researchers used an independent group who were not teachers or students to rate photographs of students on attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. They then examined 168,092 course grades of these students. The results showed that there was a correlation between attractiveness and better grades for women students. Women who were rated attracted received better grades from both men and women faculty members. There was not a similar advantage for male students who were rated attractive. And there was not an advantage for attractive women in courses in which the students did not have face-to-face contact with the faculty member.
The paper, “Student Appearance and Academic Performance,” was presented at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association. It may be accessed here.