Does the Timing of Undergraduate Degree Attainment Make a Difference in Midlife Earnings?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Postsecondary Financial Policy and Earnings Through Multiple Lenses

Abstract

Based on data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, this study explores the causal relationship between the timing of undergraduate degree attainment and mid-life earnings. I constructed two sub-samples for respondents who had obtained either Associate’s or Bachelor’s degrees by age 45. For both samples, I built Mincer-type models to generate estimates of the relationship between the timing of the degree attained and mid-life earnings. Both direct OLS and propensity score weighting estimations show that those who completed their Associate’s degrees at or after 25 tend to have higher annual earnings at age 45. For those with Bachelor’s degrees, no difference in annual earnings at age 45 is found for those completing the degree before and after age 25.

Author

• Ruirui Sun, SUNY System Administration