Higher Education Widening Access Initiatives--An Estimation of Wage Returns from Scottish Articulation

Overview & Synopsis

We estimate the wage returns of undergraduates who attained their degree via Scotland's Further Education College Articulation policy. We contribute to existing literature by adding to the research on varying returns based on paths to acquiring a degree, while also being the first paper to examine the returns associated with Scottish Articulation. While Articulation students receive a wage premium relative to college students, we find lower returns for Articulation students relative to those from older and higher ranking university institutions in Scotland. This result questions whether improving educational equality, translates to improved income equality between low versus higher income backgrounds.