How Much College Is Enough? Evaluating Characteristics of Adults with Some College and No Degree

• Activity Number: 423
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Angelina KewalRamani*+
• Companies: American Institutes for Research
• Keywords: Educational attainment ; Some college ; Income

Abstract

Recent research has shown that less than half of students who enroll in college in the U.S. complete their degree within four years. While a five-year college degree is becoming more common, a startling percentage of students never earn their degrees. In 2010, approximately one-fifth of adults age 25 and older reported completing some college, but not finishing their degrees. The American Community Survey (ACS) asks respondents to report their highest educational attainment. Respondents who attended college but did not complete their degree can report less than one year of college or one or more years of college. These two groups are assumed to have similar characteristics and are typically combined when reporting measures of educational attainment. However, adults who complete less than one year of college may be very different from adults who complete one, two, or three years of college. This presentation will use 2010 ACS data to examine differences between adults who completed high school, less than one year of college, one or more years of college, an associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree. Characteristics such as sex, race, and income will be compared for two time points.