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Why has for-profit colleges’ share of higher education expanded so rapidly? Estimating the responsiveness to labor market changes

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  • Gilpin, Gregory A.
  • Saunders, Joseph
  • Stoddard, Christiana

Abstract

Over the last two decades, for-profit colleges (FPCs) have substantially increased their share of the higher education market. One potential explanation is that FPC sector may be more responsive to labor market changes than public competitors. Using panel datasets of Associate's degree students, we examine the effects of changes in labor market conditions across various employment fields on enrollment and degree completion in related majors. The results indicate that enrollment and degree completion in the FPC sector is positively related to employment growth and wages in related occupations, while public institutions remain largely unresponsive. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that these relationships are similar across groups of students by gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the results also indicate that students in public institutions are non-responsive to changes in labor markets associated with requiring an Associate's or Bachelor's degree.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilpin, Gregory A. & Saunders, Joseph & Stoddard, Christiana, 2015. "Why has for-profit colleges’ share of higher education expanded so rapidly? Estimating the responsiveness to labor market changes," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 53-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:45:y:2015:i:c:p:53-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.11.004
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    Cited by:

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    2. Matthew Baird & Michael S. Kofoed & Trey Miller & Jennie Wenger, 2022. "Veteran Educators or For‐Profiteers? Tuition Responses to Changes in the Post‐9/11 GI Bill," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 1012-1039, September.
    3. Armona, Luis & Chakrabarti, Rajashri & Lovenheim, Michael F., 2022. "Student debt and default: The role of for-profit colleges," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(1), pages 67-92.
    4. Luis Armona & Rajashri Chakrabarti & Michael F. Lovenheim, 2018. "How Does For-profit College Attendance Affect Student Loans, Defaults and Labor Market Outcomes?," NBER Working Papers 25042, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Oded Gurantz & Ryan Sakoda & Sahyak Sarkar, 2021. "How Does the Elimination of State Aid to For-Profit Colleges Affect Enrollment? Evidence from California’s Reforms," Upjohn Working Papers 21-356, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    6. Dillender, Marcus & Friedson, Andrew & Gian, Cong & Simon, Kosali, 2019. "Does the healthcare educational market respond to short-run local demand?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    7. Gregory Gilpin & Michael Kofoed, 2020. "Employer-Sponsored Education Assistance and Graduate Program Choice, Cost, and Finance," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 61(4), pages 431-458, June.
    8. Zachary G. Davis, 2023. "Unbundling For-Profit Higher Education: Relaxing the 90/10 Revenue Constraint," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 176-200, April.
    9. Juan Esteban Carranza & María Marta Ferreyra & Ana Maria Gazmuri, 2023. "The Dynamic Market for Short-Cycle Higher Education Programs," Borradores de Economia 1265, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.

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    JEL classification:

    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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