Working Paper: NBER ID: w18201
Authors: Kevin Lang; Russell Weinstein
Abstract: Using the Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey, we examine the effect on earnings of obtaining certificates/degrees from for-profit, not-for-profit, and public institutions. Students who enter certificate programs at any type of institution do not gain from earning a certificate. However, among those entering associates degree programs, there are large, statistically significant benefits from obtaining certificates/degrees from public and not-for-profit but not from for-profit institutions. These results are robust to addressing selection into the labor market from college, and into positive earnings from unemployment, using imputation methods and quantile regression along with a maximum likelihood sample selection model.
Keywords: for-profit colleges; student outcomes; earnings; educational credentials
JEL Codes: I23; J3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Students entering certificate programs do not gain from earning a certificate (D29) | Earnings (J31) |
| Obtaining certificates or degrees from public and not-for-profit institutions (I23) | Earnings (J31) |
| Obtaining certificates or degrees from for-profit institutions (I23) | Earnings (J31) |