Does Dual Enrollment Support Earnings and Living Wage Attainment?

• In Event: Equity, Access, and Outcomes: Knowledge Acquisition Through Dual Enrollment and Developmental Education Programs

Abstract

This study considers whether dual enrollment is associated with students’ financial trajectories over a longer time horizon than has previously been analyzed in the existing literature. Using longitudinal administrative data, we conduct a propensity score analysis to understand how dual credit participation of the class of 2011 graduates from area high schools correlates with wages measured through the first quarter of 2021. We find that dual credit participants have higher average and total earnings during the first ten years after high school graduation compared to non-participants. While the correlation between dual enrollment and higher earnings suggests that dual credit relates positively to distal measures of students’ financial wellbeing, results become more nuanced when analyzing student populations.

Authors

• Sayeeda Jamilah, Dallas College

• Navi Dhaliwal, Dallas College

• McKenna Griffin, Dallas College

• Dillon Lu, Dallas College

• Emily Sharma, Dallas College

• David Mahan, Dallas College