The research team used data from North Carolina, a national leader in early- college implementation. In the Tar Heel State, four-year ECHS programs are housed in stand-alone buildings on college campuses and are legally required to prioritize enrolling students from populations often underrepresented in higher education. Unlike traditional high schools, North Carolina’s ECHS programs are jointly funded by district allocations and host colleges. The researchers compared costs and outcomes for 2,345 students randomly selected to attend one of nineteen early colleges (the treatment group) with 1,728 students who applied but weren’t admitted due to space limitations and instead attended traditional high schools (the control group). The study measures total educational costs from ninth grade through six years post-high school graduation and yields three main findings.