Reverse transfer associate degrees are credentials retroactively awarded to current bachelor's degree seekers, combining four-year credits with credits previously earned at a community college. Using administrative data from Tennessee, we use a difference-in-difference design to compare students before and after receipt of a reverse transfer degree to similar students over time. We find reverse transfer degrees have little impact on students’ academic outcomes (GPA, credits, and bachelor's degree attainment) and labor market outcomes (employment and earnings). Our findings contrast with existing descriptive work reporting large benefits of such degrees, due to our methodological improvements and more robust data. The null effect on earnings suggests that returns to an associate degree are driven by human capital gains rather than signaling in the reverse transfer student population.

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反向转学副学士学位对教育和劳动力市场结果的影响

反向转学副学士学位是追溯授予当前学士学位寻求者的证书，将四年学分与之前在社区大学获得的学分相结合。使用田纳西州的行政数据，我们使用双重差分设计将获得反向转学学位前后的学生与一段时间内的类似学生进行比较。我们发现反向转学学位对学生的学业成绩（GPA、学分和学士学位获得情况）和劳动力市场结果（就业和收入）影响不大。由于我们的方法改进和更可靠的数据，我们的研究结果与现有的描述性工作形成鲜明对比，报告了此类学位的巨大好处。