Re-enrolling and completing a bachelor's degree has positive effect on
annual income

Date:
January 7, 2022
Source:
Kansas State University
Summary:
Returning to college to earn a bachelor's degree leads to both
an immediate increase in annual income after graduation and an
increase in annual income growth each year after graduation,
according to an economics researcher.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Returning to college to earn a bachelor's degree leads to both an
immediate increase in annual income after graduation and an increase in
annual income growth each year after graduation, according to a Kansas
State University economics researcher.


========================================================================== Amanda Gaulke, assistant professor of economics in the College of Arts
and Sciences, found that students who return to college and finish a
bachelor's degree earn on average $4,294 more immediately after graduation
and experience an extra income growth of $1,121 per year, on average. The Economics of Education Review recently published the study.

"No matter how I looked at the data, those who returned and finished
a bachelor's degree see an economically meaningful increase in income
after degree completion," Gaulke said. "The average age at graduation for
this sample is 27, so they certainly have a lot of working years left
to experience improved labor market outcomes." While current economic literature mainly focuses on the traditional college student -- those
who graduate high school, go to college, earn a degree, and then start a
career -- Gaulke wanted to determine if returning to finish a bachelor's
degree resulted in improved economic outcomes compared to both those who
never returned and those who returned to complete a bachelor's degree
but dropped out again.

"This information is important for people who are wondering if they should return to school," Gaulke said. "When thinking in terms of weighing costs
and benefits, it is important for those people to know that there are
real economic benefits of going back and completing a bachelor's degree." Gaulke's study also shows students who re-enroll and earn a degree are significantly more likely to be employed, work more weeks and work more
full- time weeks each quarter. Additionally, those students who return
but do not complete a degree also realized slight income gains.

Ultimately, businesses and the U.S. economy also benefit from having a
trained workforce.

"To maximize economic output, we have to use resources efficiently,"
Gaulke said. "If employees are not as productive or skilled because
they are unable to make well-informed decisions about re-enrolling and completing their bachelor's degrees, this reduces worker productivity."
Gaulke said another benefit of this study is that many institutions of
higher education have concerns about enrollment numbers and are expanding
their recruitment efforts beyond students coming straight from high
school. Many private sector companies now offer services to help colleges
and universities re-enroll students who left without completing their
degrees. The results of this study suggest that colleges and universities
that develop or implement policies to help students re-enroll and finish
a bachelor's degree can potentially improve enrollment numbers and also
help improve economic outcomes for these students as well.

Individuals interested in returning to K-State to finish a degree can
discover more information about the university's admission process for returning students and apply online today.

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get wrong about diet and exercise. Claim_yours_now_>>> landing.newscientist.com/what-is-new-scientist-sd/ ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Kansas_State_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Amanda P. Gaulke. Returns to bachelor's degree completion among
stopouts.

Economics of Education Review, 2022; 86: 102218 DOI: 10.1016/
j.econedurev.2021.102218 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220107152114.htm
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