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Junior College Life
Anew report has found that although earnings for community college graduates varied, there are strong differentials for certificate or degree holders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Black and Hispanic students who earned an associate degree received a higher benefit than their White and Asian peers and higher earnings. Still, all groups benefited greatly from a degree or certificate completion. Women who earn a community college certificate or degree make between 15 and 25 percent more than high school graduates. Men who enroll right away and complete a creditbearing diploma or an associate degree receive a 10 to 15 percent earnings boost. “We often talk of the payoff of higher education in terms of lifetime earnings, but these data show the impact is more immediate—underscoring the importance of supporting community college access and completion— particularly after the disruption caused by the pandemic,” said Alicia Sasser Modestino of the Dukakis Center at Northeastern University, co-author of the study, Pathways to Economic Mobility: Identifying the Labor Market Value of Community College in Massachusetts. Among students who enroll right away, women who complete an associate degree are 18 percentage points more likely to be employed than terminal high school graduates. For students who delayed their entry into community college by up to five years but completed their degree or certificate, findings were also generally positive. However, while women appeared to benefit by attending community college, men who attended but did not complete a certificate or degree saw no real wage benefit. “The policy implications of this report are clear—we need to strengthen our policies that support equity in access and accelerate completion at community colleges,” said Keith Mahoney, vice president of communications and public affairs at the Boston Foundation. “That equity, though, must reach beyond the classroom to include issues like affordability, access to coaching and supports, as well as internships and career explorations that give students a stronger base from which to enter the job market.”
The research found that the employment and earnings benefits of obtaining an associate degree for under-represented students of color and low-income students were equivalent to, or even exceeded, those benefits experienced by their white and higher-income peers. “The data highlight the measurable impact that community college completion can have for the futures of all students,” said Ben Forman, research director at MassINC, who co-authored the report. “But there are definite groups—when one looks at fields of study or race and gender, Women who earn a where the power of a degree or community college certificate can put students on a lifecertificate or degree changing trajectory.” make between 15 and “These data demonstrate remarkable 25 percent more than outcomes for thousands of people high school graduates. who attend and complete community Men who enroll right away and complete a college, but they also demonstrate the urgency we should feel to close the opportunity gap that keeps students of credit-bearing diploma color from finishing community college or an associate degree at the same rates as their white peers,” receive a 10 to 15 added Antoniya Marinova, assistant percent earnings boost. director of education to career programs at the Boston Foundation. Marinova noted data in the report that while Black and Latino students are roughly twice as likely to attend community college, they are much less likely to complete a degree or certificate—a pattern evident among male students. “Our history of work with Success Boston has shown both that devastating gap and some ways in which we can close it—providing more equitable rewards in an economy that places sharp emphasis on earning a degree.” HE
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