A Look at Five Key Outcomes in Early Adulthood for Associate Degree Earners

Explores early outcomes for recent high school graduates who enroll in community colleges. The study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to test the relationships between attaining an associate degree and five outcomes in early adulthood: (1) employment status, (2) wages, (3) homeownership, (4) voting rates, and (5) volunteerism. These outcomes are representative of not only the individual economic returns expected from higher education, but also some of the benefits society enjoys by having a more highly educated citizenry.