College Quality and the Earnings of Recent College Graduates

摘要

This report examines the association between factors such as selectivity andother institutional characteristics, and the earnings of recent college graduates 5 years after graduation. The report addresses a number of questions of interest to students who are deciding which college to attend, as well as to their parents and institutional and government policymakers. These questions include the following: Are the earnings of recent graduates associated with the characteristics of the colleges and universities from which they graduated. Is where a student went to college more or less important for earnings than the choices he or she made while enrolled about how much effort to expend on studies or which field to major in. If some institutional characteristics are associated with higher earnings, which ones are they. Are larger colleges better than smaller ones. Are more selective colleges associated with higher earnings. How much does it matter whether the institution's mission is research or teaching. Are institutional effects on earnings the same for women as they are for men, or do these effects vary systematically by sex.