Crossing Boundaries: "Some College," Schools, and Educational Assortative Mating

As more Americans delay marriage and meet partners online, schools may be less important for educational assortative mating. At the same time, social ties formed during college may continue to shape partner choice later in adulthood. This study focuses on young adults with "some college, no degree" to see what, if any, marriage-market benefit is gained from exposure to highly-educated social networks in college. Using data from National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997, including newly collected postsecondary transcripts, the author finds young adults with "some college" are more likely than their less educated peers to marry a college graduate, especially if they attended a 4-year school. But young adults with bachelor's degrees still hold an advantage, even after controlling for duration of schooling. The results support the role of schools in shaping opportunities to meet partners but highlight the value of college degrees on the marriage market.