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Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults with Substantial College Credits But No Degree

Kelli A. Bird,
Benjamin L. Castleman,
Brett Fischer,
Benjamin T. Skinner

Recent state policy efforts have focused on increasing attainment among adults with some college but no degree (SCND). Yet little is actually known about the SCND population. Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), we provide the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population, and how these compare to VCCS graduates. We show that the share of SCND students who are academically ready to reenroll and would benefit from doing so may be substantially lower than policy makers anticipate. Specifically, we estimate that few SCND students (approximately three percent) could fairly easily re-enroll in fields of study from which they could reasonably expect a sizable earnings premium from completing their degree.

Keywords
Community college; college completion; re-enrollment interventions; adults in higher education; earnings gaps
Education level
Post-secondary education
Topics
Pathways to and Through Postsecondary
Tags
Returns to education and skills
Download 01/2022
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/mcrz-5258
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Bird, Kelli A., Benjamin L. Castleman, Brett Fischer, and Benjamin T. Skinner. (). Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults with Substantial College Credits But No Degree. (EdWorkingPaper: -240). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/mcrz-5258

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