Working Paper: NBER ID: w19935
Authors: Rodney Andrews; Jing Li; Michael F. Lovenheim
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 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 both examine in detail the paths that students take towards a bachelor's degree and estimate how multiple institution enrollment is related to 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.
Keywords: College Paths; Graduation Rates; Earnings; Transfer Behavior
JEL Codes: I21; I23; J31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Transfer from community colleges to flagship universities (I23) | Lower likelihood of graduating with a bachelor's degree (D29) |
| Transfer from non-flagship universities (I23) | Higher likelihood of graduating with a bachelor's degree (I23) |
| Transfer students (I23) | Lower earnings compared to direct attendees (J31) |
| Transfer status (F16) | Earnings outcomes (J31) |
| Timing and type of transfer (F16) | Outcomes (I14) |