The Economics of Stackable Qualifications and Microdegrees: A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of Return on Investment for Students and Universities in the Digital Labor Market

Arailym Kuderbayeva

Citation: Arailym Kuderbayeva, "The Economics of Stackable Qualifications and Microdegrees: A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of Return on Investment for Students and Universities in the Digital Labor Market", Universal Library of Multidisciplinary, Volume 02, Issue 01.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The article presents a quasi-experimental assessment of the return on investment (ROI) from implementing stackable microcredentials for students and universities. To this end, a holistic methodological framework is proposed that combines econometric modeling based on the Mincer earnings equation to measure the impact of microcredentials on graduates’ incomes and cost–benefit analysis (CBA) to assess the financial sustainability of universities. The modeling results indicate a statistically significant wage premium for holders of microcredentials of 10–15%, especially in high-technology sectors. For universities, integrating such programs ensures a positive ROI through enrollment expansion, diversification of revenue sources, and strengthened market reputation. It is concluded that stackable microcredentials represent a cost-effective mechanism for enhancing graduates’ competitiveness and universities’ financial sustainability, however, their large-scale implementation requires overcoming systemic barriers of standardization, quality assurance, and regulatory recognition. The findings have practical value for university leaders, educational program developers, and policymakers in the field of education.


Keywords: Microcredentials, Stackable Qualifications, Return on Investment, Quasi-Experimental Evaluation, Digital Labor Market, Economics of Education, Human Capital, Lifelong Learning, University Financial Model, Competencies.

Download doi https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulmdi.2025.0201004