Roger Pizarro Milian, David Zarifa, David Walters, and Fatemeh Ameli recently published a study with the CD Howe Institute examining bachelor’s degree outcomes across institutional types. The researchers explored labour market outcomes for bachelor’s degree graduates from comprehensive universities, medical doctoral universities, primarily undergraduate universities, and colleges. Among their findings, the researchers noted differences in graduate and second-entry program participation rates across the four institution types, with medical doctoral university graduates showing the highest participation rates and college graduates showing the lowest. Differences in earnings between graduates of different institution types were less substantial, with graduates of medical doctoral universities outperforming their peers by a modest gap. The authors conclude by calling for further research into the factors influencing these disparities and by highlighting key considerations for policy makers.
