Impacts of State Aid for Nontraditional Students on Educational and Labor Market Outcomes

Up to three-fourths of college students can be classified as "nontraditional," yet whether typical policy interventions improve their education and labor market outcomes is understudied. I use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the impacts of a state financial aid program aimed towards nontraditional students. Eligibility has no impacts on degree completion for students intending to enroll in community colleges or four-year colleges but increases bachelor's degrees for students interested in large, for-profit colleges by four percentage points. I find no impacts on employment or earnings for all applicants. This research highlights challenges in promoting human capital investment for adults.