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.
Evaluating a college education and its value as an investment is complex. We have attempted to outilne some of the key financial arguements. This first chart illustrates that graduating from college vs. the alternative continues to be a good investment. This chart, however, uses averages and we recommend that before investing at any cost, families and their college students carefully discuss “why” they are purusing the degree they may eventually choose.
The investment in educatiion is impacted by both the quality of the insitution a student attends and also the degree / major they choose. Each has a large impact on the earnings potential and thus the value of the investment made in a higher education. This chart illustrates the average expected income and average student loan debt by undergraduate degree.
Please note, we are not suggesting that Humanities degrees are not valuable to society or to discourage your student from such a degree. What we would suggest is that if your student chooses a college major with a lower monthly income potential, that they avoid taking on large amounts of debt. The debt to income ratio is an analysis that college families can explain and discuss with their student.
Bottom line, your family and student is better off with a college degree then without one. Unemployment is lower and income is higher for college graduates. However, even with these benefits, it is vital to consider the investment in education along side the income potential of the major your student chooses.
Stay tuned as we seek to share greater insights and research on this important topic.
