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Heterogeneous paths through college: Detailed patterns and relationships with graduation and earnings

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  • Andrews, Rodney
  • Li, Jing
  • Lovenheim, Michael F.

Abstract

A considerable fraction of college students and bachelor's degree recipients enroll in multiple postsecondary institutions. Despite this fact, there is scant research that examines the nature of the paths – both the number and types of institutions – that students take to obtain a bachelor's degree or through the higher education system more generally. We also know little about how enrollment in multiple institutions of varying quality relates to postgraduate life outcomes. We use a unique panel data set from Texas that allows us to examine in detail the paths that students take toward a bachelor's degree and estimate how enrollment in multiple institutions is related to both degree completion and subsequent earnings. We show that the paths to a bachelor's degree are diverse and that earnings and BA receipt vary systematically with these paths. Our results call attention to the importance of developing a more complete understanding of why students transfer and what causal role transferring has on the returns to postsecondary educational investment.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrews, Rodney & Li, Jing & Lovenheim, Michael F., 2014. "Heterogeneous paths through college: Detailed patterns and relationships with graduation and earnings," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 93-108.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:42:y:2014:i:c:p:93-108
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.07.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrews, Rodney J. & Imberman, Scott A. & Lovenheim, Michael F., 2020. "Recruiting and supporting low-income, high-achieving students at flagship universities," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    2. Nicholas Voorhees & Justin C. Ortagus & Erica Marti, 2023. "Give It a Swirl? An Examination of the Influence of 4-Year Students Taking Entry-Level Math Courses at the Local Community College," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(1), pages 147-173, February.
    3. Dinarte Diaz,Lelys Ileana & Ferreyra,Maria Marta & Urzua,Sergio & Bassi,Marina, 2021. "What Makes a Program Good ? Evidence from Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9722, The World Bank.
    4. Eleanor Wiske Dillon & Jeffrey Andrew Smith, 2020. "The Consequences of Academic Match between Students and Colleges," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 55(3), pages 767-808.
    5. Marina Bassi & Lelys Dinarte-Diaz & Maria Marta Ferreyra & Sergio Urzua, 2023. "What Makes a Program Good? Evidence from Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs in Five Developing Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 10255, CESifo.
    6. Russell, Lauren, 2019. "Better outcomes without increased costs? Effects of Georgia’s University System consolidations," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 122-135.
    7. George Spencer & Amy Stich, 2023. "College Choice Revisited: Socioeconomic Differences in College Transfer Destinations Among Four-Year College Entrants," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(7), pages 959-986, November.
    8. William Casey Boland & Marybeth Gasman & Andrés Castro Samayoa & DeShaun Bennett, 2021. "The Effect of Enrolling in Minority Serving Institutions on Earnings Compared to Non-minority Serving Institutions: A College Scorecard Analysis," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 62(2), pages 121-150, March.
    9. Rajashri Chakrabarti & Nicole Gorton & Michael F. Lovenheim, 2020. "State Investment in Higher Education: Effects on Human Capital Formation, Student Debt, and Long-term Financial Outcomes of Students," NBER Working Papers 27885, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Michael D. Bloem, 2023. "Impacts of Transfer Admissions Requirements: Evidence from Georgia," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 64(6), pages 834-861, September.
    11. Gloria Crisp & Charlie Potter & Amanda Taggart, 2022. "Characteristics and Predictors of Transfer and Withdrawal Among Students Who Begin College at Bachelor’s Granting Institutions," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 63(3), pages 481-513, May.
    12. Patrick Denice, 2017. "Back to School: Racial and Gender Differences in Adults’ Participation in Formal Schooling, 1978–2013," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(3), pages 1147-1173, June.
    13. Acton, Riley & Cortes, Kalena E. & Miller, Lois & Morales, Camila, 2024. "Distance to Degrees: How College Proximity Shapes Students' Enrollment Choices and Attainment across Race-Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status," IZA Discussion Papers 17338, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Peter Arcidiacono & Michael Lovenheim, 2016. "Affirmative Action and the Quality-Fit Trade-Off," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 54(1), pages 3-51, March.
    15. Ben Ost & Weixiang Pan & Douglas Webber, 2018. "The Returns to College Persistence for Marginal Students: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from University Dismissal Policies," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(3), pages 779-805.
    16. Toby J. Park & Stella M. Flores & Christopher J. Ryan, 2018. "Labor Market Returns for Graduates of Hispanic-Serving Institutions," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 59(1), pages 29-53, February.
    17. Rodney J. Andrews & John Thompson, 2017. "Earning your CAP: A Comprehensive Analysis of The University of Texas System's Coordinated Admissions Program," NBER Working Papers 23442, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Rodney J. Andrews & Jing Li & Michael F. Lovenheim, 2016. "Quantile Treatment Effects of College Quality on Earnings," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 51(1), pages 200-238.
    19. Falch, Torberg & Iversen, Jon Marius Vaag & Nyhus, Ole Henning & Strøm, Bjarne, 2022. "Quality measures in higher education: Norwegian evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    College transferring; Returns to college quality; Postsecondary education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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