ERIC Number: ED663690
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Nov
Pages: 11
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
How Do College Graduates' Earnings Change over Time? Implications for Higher Education Accountability Policy
Jason Cohn
Urban Institute
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.
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
Urban Institute. 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 202-261-5687; Fax: 202-467-5775; Web site: http://www.urban.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Urban Institute, Center on Education Data and Policy
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: American Community Survey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A