The Effects on Income of Type of College Attended

The effects of particular attributes of colleges on the subsequent earnings of individuals who attend are much discussed but rarely studied systematically. Here we seek to compare the earnings patterns of people attending different types of colleges. The classification of colleges used in this study is the scheme developed by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education based on the sense of commitments to research, types of programs offered and selectivity of admission of students. We find that at the college level, differences in type of institution attended have highly significant effects on differences in lifetime earning patterns of students.