Community colleges and careers: Evidence from nursing school lotteries

I estimate the effect of attending an associate degree in nursing program on nursing licensure. I use student-level academic data for all California community college students, matched to public records on all nursing licenses earned in the state. I produce causal estimates using random variation from admissions lotteries at a large nursing program. Enrolling in the program increases the probability of having an active nursing license by 59 percentage points within three years. By seven years the effect is smaller and not statistically significant. I estimate the value of a nursing license as approximately $5000-$6000 per year. •Community college nursing programs lead to registered nurse licensure.•I use admissions lotteries to estimate the effect of enrolling in the program.•The effect fades over time as lottery losers likely enroll in other programs.•The value of a nursing license is approximately $5000–$6000 per year.