The Vertical Transfer Penalty Among Bachelor's Degree Graduates

• In Event: 43.079 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Six - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 43.079-5 - Transfer: Choices, Experiences, and Outcomes

Abstract

Numerous studies have investigated the consequences of vertical transfer on students’ higher education outcomes in comparison to ‘native four-year students,’ those who went straight from high school into a bachelor’s degree program. However, the long-term labor market outcomes for vertical transfer students and native four-year students are understudied. Using nationally-representative data from the National Survey of College Graduates 2015, we estimate the relationship between starting in a community college (vs. a four-year college) and later employment and post-college earnings in various regression approaches that correct for selection bias and over-dispersion. We find a significant earnings disadvantage (roughly -14% annually) for college graduates who started in a two-year institution, regardless of college major. No effect was found on graduates’ employment chances.

Authors

• Dirk Witteveen, University of Oxford - Nuffield College

• Paul Attewell, City College of New York - CUNY