The wage return professional or technological baccalauréat holders can expect depends on whether or not they obtain a 2-year higher education diploma (Bac +2). This return is calculated according to the wage supplement they can expect to receive (taking into account individual characteristics) if they continue their studies beyond the 2-year higher education diploma, or if no further qualification is obtained. Allowing for uncertainty, stemming from the risk of diploma failure and unemployment, after three years of working life professional baccalauréat holders who continue their studies can hope to obtain an average salary supplement of 5.6% compared with those who stopped their initial training at baccalauréat level, a figure that rises to 10.6% for technological baccalauréat holders. However, when the differing characteristics of these two groups (i.e. those who stop studying and those who continue their studies with success) are taken into account, baccalauréat holders obtaining a 2-year higher education diploma can expect a wage supplement of just 3.2%. Studies have shown, however, that there is no difference between the wage return to professional baccalauréat holders pursuing further qualifications and the wage return to those who have actually studied for and obtained the 2-year higher education diploma (around 13%). Those who continue their studies would be rewarded with better pay in recognition of individual characteristics which are similar to those characteristics of holders of a 2-year higher education diploma. Professional baccalauréat holders who have not continued to this level would have been well advised to have done so, since even for courses not leading to a qualification the wage return would be 5.2%. These results, however, depend upon the assumption that there is sufficient information available to characterise the similarities and differences of the populations studied.