%0 Report
        %A Jepsen, Christopher
%A Troske, Kenneth
%A Coomes, Paul A.
        %T The Labor-Market Returns to Community College Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates
        %D 2012
        %8 2012 Oct
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 6902
        %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp6902
        %X This paper provides among the first rigorous estimates of the labor-market returns to community college certificates and diplomas, as well as estimating the returns to the more commonly-studied associate's degrees. Using administrative data from Kentucky, we estimate panel-data models that control for differences among students in pre-college earnings and educational aspirations. Associate's degrees and diplomas have quarterly earnings returns of nearly $2,400 for women and $1,500 for men, compared with much smaller returns for certificates. There is substantial heterogeneity in returns across fields of study. Degrees, diplomas, and – for women – certificates correspond with higher levels of employment.
        %K diploma
%K community college
%K returns to school
%K certificate