September 25, 2025
College graduates are on the move, and that matters for how policymakers judge the value of degree programs. Many proposed accountability measures compare graduates’ earnings to those of local high school graduates. But what happens when grads leave town—or even the state—for jobs in places with very different costs of living?
A new report co-authored by the Upjohn Institute’s Brad Hershbein for the Postsecondary Education and Economics Research (PEER) Center at American University shows that mobility can skew accountability metrics in ways that either unfairly penalize or advantage certain colleges. Community college grads tend to stay close to home, while alumni of selective four-year universities scatter across expensive metros. Without adjusting for where graduates actually live and work, earnings comparisons risk misleading students, families, and policymakers alike.
Hershbein’s co-authors are Johnathan Conzelmann, Steven W. Hemelt, Andrew Simon, and Kevin Stange.