Resources & Courses

The Case for Postsecondary Completion

Postsecondary Completion Playbook: Chapter 3

Explainer

Postsecondary completion marks a critical step on the path to opportunity, but completion — not just enrollment — is what ultimately unlocks economic mobility and long-term stability. Completion refers to successfully earning a degree, credential or skill-based certification from a college, training program or apprenticeship. Whether through two- or four-year colleges, career and technical education (CTE), industry-recognized certifications or skilled trades, finishing what the postsecondary path one starts is what delivers real returns for individuals and communities.

Research consistently shows that completing a postsecondary credential significantly increases lifetime earnings. According to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, an associate’s degree holder earns about $400,000 more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree holder earns $1.2 million more. The return on investment in postsecondary education depends heavily on completion; those who start but do not finish often carry debt without the income increase to repay it.

Beyond income, completion enhances job stability and access to benefits. Workers with verified postsecondary credentials are less likely to be unemployed during economic downturns and more likely to secure jobs with benefits such as health insurance, retirement savings and paid leave. Completion also opens doors to career advancement. Many middle- and high-skill jobs require a completed credential to move up the ladder.

Importantly, increasing postsecondary completion rates is also a powerful strategy for promoting opportunity. For students from low-income families, first-generation college-goers and Black and Latine communities, completing a credential can dramatically change life trajectories. Research from the Institute for Higher Education Policy shows that students of color who complete postsecondary programs are far more likely to move from the lowest income bracket into the middle or upper brackets. These benefits often extend across generations — children of parents who complete postsecondary programs are more likely to pursue and finish their own education.

Completing a postsecondary program is associated with broader personal and civic well-being. Credential holders report higher life satisfaction, stronger health outcomes and greater participation in civic life, including voting and community leadership. Completion also reinforces a sense of confidence and capability, which fuels ongoing learning and personal growth throughout adulthood.

In today’s economy, Postsecondary Completion is only the beginning. Completion is the catalyst — it’s what transforms potential into progress. It turns a training program into a paycheck, a classroom into a career and a first step into a lifetime of opportunity. For students, communities and the nation as a whole, the true value of postsecondary pathways lies in helping every learner reach the finish line.

Postsecondary Completion Playbook

Supported by the Gates Foundation, this playbook equips communities with tools, strategies and data to improve postsecondary completion rates.

Download the playbook

1. Introduction to Postsecondary Completion
2. Essential Questions for Postsecondary Completion
3. The Case for Postsecondary Completion
4. About the Postsecondary Completion Playbook
5. Postsecondary Completion
6. Postsecondary Persistence
7. Support Networks that Build Social Capital
8. Experiences and Neighborhood Conditions
9. Positive, Supportive Environments
10. Bibliography