Student Decision Making and the Choice of Non-degree Postsecondary Pathways

Non-degree postsecondary programs are often seen as complements to, rather than substitutes for, other postsecondary credentials. However, many of these programs could serve as entry points into high-wage, stable careers for students right out of high school. Increasing and equalizing participation in high-quality non-degree postsecondary programs requires better understanding the student choice process. In this paper we use novel survey data that interrogated high-school students' beliefs and perceptions about specific postsecondary programs, including non-degree pathways. We make two main contributions. First, we present some of the first descriptive evidence of student perceptions of non-degree postsecondary pathways. We find that familiarity with non-degree postsecondary pathways is generally relatively low with some notable differences across pathways and across groups of students. Second, we examined the postsecondary pathways students stated they were currently considering and the factors most associated with students selecting non-degree postsecondary pathways. We find that male students are nine percentage points less likely than female students to include non-degree pathways in their consideration sets and that Hispanic students are seven percentage points more likely than White students. Students who are concerned about lowering costs (e. g., lower financial cost, easier academics, faster) are more likely to consider choosing non-degree pathways while students who state that their reasons for pursuing a post-secondary pathway are related to greater perceived benefits (e. g., higher quality education) are more likely to only consider degree pathways. This study provides important insights into potential student sorting across programs and can also help us to understand how this decision-making process might have implications for future economic, social, and civic outcomes.