"For a generation of young Americans, choosing where to go to college - or whether to go at all - has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits that often revolves around a single question: Is the degree worth its price? Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years amid high tuition prices, skyrocketing student loans and a dismal job market - plus ideological concerns from conservatives."
"Borrowed from the business world, the term "return on investment" has been plastered on college advertisements across the U.S. A battery of new rankings grade campuses on the financial benefits they deliver. States such as Colorado have started publishing yearly reports on the monetary payoff of college, and Texas now factors it into calculations for how much taxpayer money goes to community colleges."
For a generation of young Americans, choosing whether and where to attend college has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits centered on whether a degree is worth its price. Public confidence in higher education has plummeted amid high tuition, soaring student loans, a weak job market, and ideological criticism from conservatives. Colleges and states are emphasizing financial payoff, adopting business-style 'return on investment' language, publishing rankings, and producing reports that assess monetary outcomes. Seventy percent of recent public university graduates can expect a positive return within 10 years; that share ranges from 53% in North Dakota to 82% in Washington, D.C.
#college-return-on-investment #higher-education-value #student-debt-and-affordability #state-policy-outcomes
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