Accelerated Postsecondary Pathways: The Longer-Term Impact of the Early College High School Model on Postsecondary Degree Attainment

Utilizing a lottery-based natural experiment, this study assessed the longer-term impact of early colleges on postsecondary degree attainment. It found that early colleges significantly increased the overall degree completion and associate degree completion rates within 10 years of expected high school graduation. While the impact on bachelor’s degree or advanced degree attainment was no longer significant 10 years after high school, results from earlier years suggest that early college students attained these degrees at a higher rate and faster pace than control students. This study also found that the early college impact on bachelor’s degree attainment was significantly stronger for underrepresented minorities and that the impact on associate degree attainment was significantly stronger for students with higher prior achievement.