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Vivian Yuen Ting Liu

Associate Director, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support, City University of New York • Research Affiliate, CCRC

Vivian Yuen Ting Liu is the associate director of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Program Support at the City University of New York (CUNY). She conducts quantitative research on the academic and labor market outcomes to prominent higher education pathways and phenomena using state administrative datasets and restricted-use national datasets. Her research has implications for increasing students’ likelihood of college completion, especially for low-income and marginalized students. Her research interests include transfer students, financial aid, community college credentials, summer enrollment, for-profit education, and the economic returns to higher education.

Liu holds a PhD and an MA in economics and education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA with a double major in economics and education from Macalester College, Minnesota.

Prior to coming to CCRC, she worked as a quantitative analyst and Pittsburgh specialist at Communities for Teaching Excellence, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She also worked as a quantitative consultant for Teach For America, New York.

Liu joined the Helix Education podcast for an October 2020 episode on supplemental enrollment partnerships in higher education.

February 2023

Six Years Later: Examining the Academic and Employment Outcomes of the Original and Reinstated Summer Pell

Using administrative data from the City University of New York (CUNY), this paper examines the impact of the summer Pell program on community college student persistence, completion, and employment outcomes.
December 2022

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Application Choice and Admission Success

Using a regression discontinuity approach and data from two cohorts of students in one state, this paper examines the effect of taking dual enrollment credits on the number of in-state public colleges students apply and are admitted to and the selectivity of those colleges.
July 2022

Does Taking a Few Courses at a Community College Improve the Baccalaureate, STEM, and Labor Market Outcomes of Four-Year College Students?

Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study and a propensity score matching approach, this paper compares outcomes of four-year college students who earned either 1–10 credits or no credits at a community college.
April 2021

Happy Together? The Peer Effects of Dual Enrollment Students on Community College Student Outcomes

Using administrative data from a large state community college system, this paper examines whether being exposed to a higher percentage of dual enrollment peers influences non-dual enrollment enrollees’ performance in college courses.
October 2020

High School Dual Enrollment in Florida: Effects on College Outcomes by Race/Ethnicity and Course Modality

Using data on two cohorts of Florida students who started public high school in 2007 and 2012, this report analyzes dual enrollment course-taking and outcomes by racial/ethnic group (Black, Hispanic, White) and course modality (face-to-face on-college-campus, face-to-face off-campus, and online).
September 2020

Major Decision: The Impact of Major Switching on Academic Outcomes in Community Colleges

Using state administrative data and propensity score matching, this study examines the characteristics and academic outcomes of community college students who switch majors.
November 2019

The Labor Market Returns to For-Profit Higher Education: Evidence for Transfer Students

This paper examines the labor market gains for students who enrolled at for-profit colleges after beginning their postsecondary education in community college.
February 2019

Timing Matters: How Delaying College Enrollment Affects Earnings Trajectories

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, this paper compares the academic and labor market outcomes of high school graduates who delay college enrollment and those who enroll in college immediately up to 13 years after high school completion.
November 2018

Is School Out for the Summer? The Impact of Year-Round Pell Grants on Academic and Employment Outcomes of Community College Students

This paper employs a difference-in-difference approach to examine the credit, credential completion, and labor market outcomes resulting from the year-round Pell using a state administrative dataset from a community college system.
November 2016

Goodbye to Summer Vacation? The Effects of Summer Enrollment on College and Employment Outcomes

Using proximity to the closest four-year college as an instrumental variable, this CAPSEE working paper analyzes public higher education data from an anonymous state to examine how enrolling in summer credits can impact college and labor market outcomes.
June 2016

Do Students Benefit From Going Backward? The Academic and Labor Market Consequences of Four- to Two-Year College Transfer

This CAPSEE working paper examines the effects of four-year to two-year college transfer on “struggling” students, or those who earned less than a 3.0 grade point average in the first term.
March 2015

The Labor Market Returns to Math Courses in Community College

Using matched college transcript and earnings data on over 80,000 students entering community college during the 2000s, this CAPSEE working paper examines the returns to math courses.
November 2014

The Medium-Term Labor Market Returns to Community College Awards: Evidence From North Carolina

In this study, the authors examine medium-term returns to diplomas, certificates, and degrees for first-time college students who enrolled in the North Carolina Community College System in 2002–03.
September 2014

Evaluating For-Profit Higher Education: Evidence From the Education Longitudinal Study

Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this CAPSEE working paper evaluates the postsecondary and labor market outcomes of students who attended for-profit colleges.
March 2019

Major Decision: The Impact of Major Switching on Academic Outcomes

March 2018

The Unintended Mission of Community Colleges: Enrollment Patterns, Academic Outcomes, and Labor Market Returns of Reverse Transfer Students

March 2018

Timing Matters: Examining the Earnings Trajectories of Delayed College Enrollees

Recent Publications

February 2023

Six Years Later: Examining the Academic and Employment Outcomes of the Original and Reinstated Summer Pell

December 2022

The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Application Choice and Admission Success

July 2022

Does Taking a Few Courses at a Community College Improve the Baccalaureate, STEM, and Labor Market Outcomes of Four-Year College Students?

April 2021

Happy Together? The Peer Effects of Dual Enrollment Students on Community College Student Outcomes

Recent Presentations

March 2019

Major Decision: The Impact of Major Switching on Academic Outcomes

March 2018

The Unintended Mission of Community Colleges: Enrollment Patterns, Academic Outcomes, and Labor Market Returns of Reverse Transfer Students

March 2018

Timing Matters: Examining the Earnings Trajectories of Delayed College Enrollees

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