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The value added of short-cycle higher education programs to student outcomes: Evidence from Colombia

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  • Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys
  • Ferreyra, Maria Marta
  • Melguizo, Tatiana
  • Sanchez-Diaz, Angelica

Abstract

We estimate the value added of short-cycle higher education programs (two or three years long) to student academic and labor market outcomes. We exploit administrative data from Colombia to control for a rich set of student, peer, and local choice set characteristics. We find that program value added accounts for 60–70 percent of the variation in graduation and labor market outcomes and varies greatly across programs, across and especially within fields of study. Value-added estimates are strongly correlated with the corresponding outcomes but not with other commonly used quality measures. Value-added to labor market outcomes is positively associated with program duration and age, the degree of the provider's specialization, and the size of the city where the program is taught. We caution against the use of program rankings, which appear highly sensitive to the underlying outcome or value-added metric.

Suggested Citation

  • Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys & Ferreyra, Maria Marta & Melguizo, Tatiana & Sanchez-Diaz, Angelica, 2024. "The value added of short-cycle higher education programs to student outcomes: Evidence from Colombia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:101:y:2024:i:c:s0272775724000578
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2024.102563
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Short-cycle programs; Value added; Quality; Higher education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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