How Do College Graduates' Earnings Change over Time? Implications for Higher Education Accountability Policy
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| Title: | How Do College Graduates' Earnings Change over Time? Implications for Higher Education Accountability Policy |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jason Cohn, Urban Institute, Center on Education Data and Policy |
| Source: | Urban Institute. 2024. |
| Availability: | Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 11 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Intended Audience: | Policymakers |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | College Graduates, Education Work Relationship, Income, Wages, Educational Policy, Accountability, National Surveys, Outcomes of Education, Academic Degrees, Student Loan Programs, Loan Repayment, Income Contingent Loans |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | American Community Survey |
| Abstract: | Recent higher education accountability policies and proposals have often linked programs' or institutions' federal aid access to students' postcompletion earnings. But proposals differ regarding when to measure earnings. Policymakers may want to know how fast earnings typically grow and when in an individual's career earnings growth rates change. To inform policies that measure earnings after students complete a credential, this brief examines average earnings trajectories for the first 5 years after graduation using program-level earnings data in the College Scorecard and for 25 years in the American Community Survey (ACS). Findings suggest that the effects of an accountability policy that measures earnings after graduation can be sensitive to which year is chosen, particularly for bachelor's and professional degrees. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED663690 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Recent higher education accountability policies and proposals have often linked programs' or institutions' federal aid access to students' postcompletion earnings. But proposals differ regarding when to measure earnings. Policymakers may want to know how fast earnings typically grow and when in an individual's career earnings growth rates change. To inform policies that measure earnings after students complete a credential, this brief examines average earnings trajectories for the first 5 years after graduation using program-level earnings data in the College Scorecard and for 25 years in the American Community Survey (ACS). Findings suggest that the effects of an accountability policy that measures earnings after graduation can be sensitive to which year is chosen, particularly for bachelor's and professional degrees. |
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