Net Cost of Postsecondary Non-Completion in Ontario
Students enrolling in postsecondary programs without graduating is often portrayed as a policy problem. It is seen as costly; costly to government as they invest heavily in postsecondary education (PSE); costly for students who discontinue their own education and do not reap the benefits associated with a credential; and costly to the economy in the form of net lower skills in the workforce, a weaker match between the individual and the labour market, and even reduced participation, all yielding lower earnings. SRDC undertook earlier work to define more clearly what non‐completion comprises and analyze its consequences for outcomes such as labour market earnings. This project continues this line of research by developing more fully and a cost-benefit analysis framework that could be monetized to assess how the net costs of non-completion to students, institutions, governments, and society compare to those attributable to completion of credentials by comparable individuals. A key intention is to allow the estimation of “savings” that might be generated from interventions that can increase postsecondary completion. The potential for savings could justify the testing of different potential interventions. This project considers the necessary requirements for developing and monetizing the framework, involving an initial data discovery and analysis planning stage. The key product is the work plan for the cost-benefit analysis stage.
Project Details
Capability: Socio-economic Impact Assessment
Policy Area: Post-Secondary Education - Graduate Labour Market - Access and Persistence - Student Financial Aid
Population: Students
Other Related Projects
Institutional EDI Diagnosis of UQAT
Le Vice-rectorat à la réconciliation et au développement international et partenarial (VRRIP) de l’Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) calls on the services of… Read More
The Transition to Permanent Residence for International Students in Canada’s OLMCs
This research project aims to understand the factors that motivate or hinder the transition of international students to permanent residency in official language minority… Read More
