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Returns to bachelor’s degree completion among stopouts

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  • Gaulke, Amanda P.

Abstract

The recent returns to bachelor’s degree completion for those with interrupted college enrollment (stopouts) is unknown. This information is especially important since re-enrollment programs are being sold as a ‘win-win’ for both schools and students. This paper contributes to the literature by using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 cohort with a fixed-effects difference-in-differences regression to estimate recent labor market benefits for stopouts. Re-enrolling and completing a bachelor’s degree leads to a significant increase in employment of 9.8 percentage points and a significant increase in real (2014) annual income of $5,392.

Suggested Citation

  • Gaulke, Amanda P., 2022. "Returns to bachelor’s degree completion among stopouts," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:86:y:2022:i:c:s0272775721001308
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102218
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