infographics

  image by flickr user 401(K)2012, cc license One theme that Payscale's College (and college major) Return on Investment study hits hard is that colleges are not equal. Certain schools perform, on average, better than others in helping students earn a successful and well-paying career. The same can be said for majors; an engineering degree is a safer economic investment than an education degree. The Brookings Institute took this investigation a bit deeper. Specifically looking at school selectivity and graduation rates, as well as debt, earnings and other degree-related outcomes, they concluded, too, that colleges and majors are not made equal. However, they also emphasized that not all colleges are worth the investment.

   How well are you and your family saving for your student's college education? The average family, according to a recent Fidelity Investments survey, is on track to meet only 34% of their college savings goals. That's certainly not where many families would prefer to be, especially given that sixty-one percent of parents report they have a financial plan in place to help them reach their college savings goals. 

(photo from flickr user quinn.anya) 2013 College Student Pulse, a new survey jointly released by Seventeen & Citi on college finances, revealed some very interesting information about college students working and paying for the many costs of college.

   The findings from Fidelity Investments' study of recent college gradiates was just released. The study covered graduates of the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013. 

As the costs of college have risen, so has the number of parent loans and the amount borrowed by parents. A recent Wall Street Journal article discussed this rise. Citing FinAid.org, "over 17% of graduates in the 2011-12 academic year had parent Plus loans borrowed for them, which are loans available directly from the federal government, each with an average $33,800." Just how big a rise is that from previous parent borrowing? "That's up from 13% with about $23,300 on average in the 2007-08 academic year." 

  A new infographic from the website BrainTrack came out recently. It demonstrates that what students and parents think of colleges can be valuable information with multiple applications.

   

Should your child take an unpaid internship? Sometimes it's a difficult decision to make. Your student wants experience, but at what price does that come? This infographic from OnlineCollegeCourses.com brings to light some shocking facts about internships and can help you and your student make an informed choice.

We fundamentally believe in the value of higher education to advance the quality of the lives of the students, families and communities where they eventually serve. 

We have a continuing theme regarding the first year experience of college students that we are exploring. Most families we speak with share with us the anxiety about this transition.   The reality is that families of new college students recognize that the transition to college is a BIG deal.   The transition is a major life event for both students and the family. Our last post reported research by UCLA - that about 25% of freshmen students do not progress successfully to become sophomores.