6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
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FEBRUARY 11, 2014
6 key fndings about going to college
BY ANDREA CAUMONT
46 COMMENTS
A new Pew Research Center report on higher education contains a number of fndings about the rising
value of a college degree (as well as the rising cost of not going to college). College-educated millennials
are outperforming their less-educated peers on virtually every economic measure, and the gap between
the two groups has only grown over time. Here are six key fndings that provide a compelling answer to
the question: Is going to college worth it?
1
A college education is worth more today. There’s a wider earnings gap between collegeeducated and less-educated Millennials compared with previous generations.
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
2
College benefts go beyond earnings: In addition to earning more, college-educated
Millennials also have lower unemployment and poverty rates than their less-educated peers.
They’re also more likely to be married and less likely to be living in their parent’s home.
3
College grads are more satisfed with their jobs: College-educated Millennials are more
likely to see themselves on a career path, rather than just working at a job to get them by.
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
4
The cost of not going to college has risen. Millennials with just a high school diploma are
faring worse today than their counterparts in earlier generations by almost every economic
measure examined.
5
College grads say college is worth it: About nine-in-ten college grads in every generation say
college has been, or will be, worth the investment. Despite a steep rise in college tuitions,
Millennials agree.
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
6
College majors matter. Among all grads, science or engineering majors are the most likely to
say their current job is very closely related to their feld of study and the least likely to say that a
different major would have better prepared them for the job they really wanted.
Read the full report: The Rising Cost of Not Going to College
TOPICS: COLLEGE, EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Share the link:
http://pewrsr.ch/MIrho4
Andrea Caumont is the Social Media Editor at the Pew Research Center.
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
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46 Comments
narayanan •
5 hours ago
parents are wasting their time putting in college admissions for their kids and frst of all
college is optional and not required like high school is.
Reply
Amanda •
5 months ago
I have been assigned this survey (The Rising Cost of not Going to College) for a
research report for a graduate class at the University of Connecticut. Do you have any
information on the response rate of the millenials that were contacted by RDD for the
study?
Reply
james murphy •
7 months ago
Yes but poor quality degrees from on line schools are not
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
Reply
Muvaffak Gozaydin •
9 months ago
Please do not push everyone to any college .
Can you imagine the cost of this 25 million people .
Cost of college for 6 years $ 30,000 x 6 = $ 180,000
Cost of lost wages for 6 years $ 28,000 x 6 = $168,000
Total ……………………………………………………..$ 348,000 per person
Times 25 million = 348,000 x 25,000,000 = $ 8.7 TRILLION
Please let only enough SAT having people go to GOOD college .
Rest is waste of mone .
Reply
brantvd •
4 months ago
Your math may be correct, but your logic is horrible. By your math, the cost of
college is $348,000, however you completely forget to offset that by beneft. With
a bachelor’s degree, the average increase in annual salary is $17,000. Typically,
people are around 22 years of age when they graduate from college, assuming
they went straight there from high school. People usually work up to age 62, if not
longer now, which means 40 years of work. 40 years of work at an increased wage
of $17,000 means an extra $680,000 (or more). Subtract your $348,000 of cost
and the net increase is $332,000. I’ll take my extra $332,000 thank you very
much, and if you don’t want yours – I’ll take yours too if you don’t mind.
Reply
Muvaffak Gozaydin •
9 months ago
Some other reports say
average salary of BA holders is getting 1.2 % lower every year for the last 10 years .
There are 471,600,000 BA holders in the USA .
25 million of them ( 60 % ) are holding jobs which can be done by high school
graduates .
I conclude that
one has to graduate from a good college which supplies skills to its graduates not from
any college
Reply
Muvaffak Gozaydin •
9 months ago
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
Sorry not 471,600,000 the right number is
41,600,000 BA holders .
Reply
Crystal •
10 months ago
How has education or the lack thereof taken the blame for the ever-present wage gap?
If one is brought under this illusion, getting a college education can have devastating
implications when “it doesn’t pay!”
On the other hand, each one should do everything within their power to enhance their
quality of life, remembering it is NOT what makes you valuable, but has the potential to
increase and enhance your value.
Reply
Lynn •
10 months ago
I met a competent, bright, hard-working 30 year old with a degree in anthropology. She
was waiting tables. Her last almost-job was basically entry level for a university for
which there were over 250 applicants. She landed in the top three and did not get the
job.
Just an anecdote I thought worth mentioning. There is something still very wrong out
there.
Reply
Judy Hante •
6 months ago
It sounds like she chose the wrong major unless she wanted to get a PhD and
teach. Not all college degrees are worth having — there can’t be that many jobs
out there for an anthropology major. She should get a teaching credential.
Reply
Puffy •
10 months ago
The numbers here are a little misleading as the salary mentioned here is for college
graduates with a bachelors degree OR MORE. So how much of that extra salary is
attributable solely to a bachelors degree? Opinions vary but generally it’s stated as
being $1.2 million in 2009.
So to fnd whether a bachelors degree is truly “worth it” you’ll need to do some math. At
7% interest, the average $100,000 total cost of a BA/BS degree would be worth $2.1
million at age 67 if it was invested at age 22 rather than spent on a college degree.
Your average return would have to fall to 5.7% to equal the $1.2 million in extra
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
income earned because of the degree, in which case it would still be a wash.
So is the cost of a bachelor’s degree worth it? If you think you can beat an a … Read more
Reply
Davidwaymire •
9 months ago
So let me know when you fnd someone who will loan you $100,000 with no
collateral to stuff into the stock market.
Reply
Chris •
10 months ago
Here’s a stat I wish you’d published – comparative amounts of debt at age 22 for all
three categories. Yes, college allows for higher earning potential, but with the cost of
an undergraduate education nowadays, the median undergrad leaves school with
almost $30K in debt. I could probably afford to earn a little less if I weren’t paying
student loans every month for the foreseeable future. As you said, “college benefts go
beyond earnings.” So does some of the argument against going to college.
You’ve only presented half the story here – that’s lazy, and an unusual sidestep of the
whole picture for Pew.
Reply
Davidwaymire •
9 months ago
I think you are misreading the statistics. The median person who leaves college
WITH A LOAN owes $28,000 or so (about the cost of buying a new car…and nobody
seems to think twice about borrowing that much for a car). But about half of
graduates today have no loans at all…at least at public universities in Michigan.
Reply
Sandy •
10 months ago
I wish you folks would include vocational and technical training data in your studies.
Some folks are not cut out for four years of “seat time” in college classes and/or are
not interested in a 4 year college degree. People can be very fnancially
successful/productive with vocational/technical training-education like plumbers,
electricians, auto mechanics – the list goes on and on. Those folks can make a ton of
money and be very happy, along with not have huge college debt facing them.
I need a good plumber more than I need a psychologist – though if I don’t get my
frozen water pipes fxed soon – I may need a psychologist!
Reply
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
Randy •
10 months ago
This report rings true with regards to my personal experience. I’m a retired “middleBoomer”.
After having paid for my wife’s last 2 years to fnish her BS, our son’s 4.5 years to get
his BS, and our daughter (still attending), I would say the fndings match my
perceptions.
However, it was not easy to save up the money for 2 and a half Degrees. My
conservative standard of living (don’t try to keep up with the neighbors) allowed all of
this to happen with no loans.
For whatever it’s worth…. I planned for this my whole adult life because my divorced
and single mother paid for my BS degree in the 1970’s. I don’t know how she did it. It
was a gift that I will cherish until I draw my last breath.
Reply
30 Something •
10 months ago
It means nothing- but I really loved the story.
Remember – “Anything you can do, a retired middle boomer can do 2.5 times
better, and in a mile of snow each way.”
Although living conservatively would be a gross undertatement for me and mine, I
always did get a lot of sh– from my grandfather, (a Great Depression/WW2/Korea
vet who never went to college, but lived better than all of us combined, and with
less), for deciding that I wanted to stay in my hometown and live my life here,
rather than take his advice and move to the middle of nowhere to escape Cook
County and its wicked, bloodthirsty taxes, cost of living, etc. So I guess that would
be trying to keep up with my neighbors (and friends & family). Moving out of the
city would make it pretty hard to continue to ride a bike and and take public trans,
and buying a car again is something I’m hoping to put off until I have children,
hopefully.
I’m pretty sure that my also single, also divorced mother wasn’t holding back on us
when she basically lived at work and gave us the clothes off of her back for most of
our adolescence. Although there was never a dime for anything at all after the
meager roof was kept overhead, and food brought to the table, somehow she
managed to make too much at the time, so as to disqualify us from any Fafsa aid.
Thats not to say that she didn’t have my back, and fght with me all the way to try
to make it happen; That’s not to say that saving for and attending college wasn’t
something that WE planned for all of our lives, even before our parents divorced.
Quite the contrary- I’m still trying to help my brother make it through, and am still
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trying to fnish myself.
I wish I had the time and energy to pull corroborating (pew) data for the sake of
this argument, something other than my ranting and raving, something that would
substantiate & illustrate a little more matter-of-factly that collectively, the rise in
cost of living, tuition, college, etc etc etc. and average circumtances these days,
make a college education unreasonably diffcult to afford, nevermind unreasonably
impotent in the reality of the job market and economic Conditions we face as
young people. But I don’t.
For what its worth, for the wealthiest nation in the world, it shouldn’t require the toi
and sacrifce of 4 generations of hardworking American family to get someone
through college, when everywhere you turn, money is being spewed and bled off
wantonly at all sorts of wasteful sh–.
But I digress, back into cry baby mode. So, since I’m obligated as a millennial to
blame someone else for all of
… Read more
Reply
Judy Hante •
6 months ago
We are in serious need of reform when it comes to the cost of college.
Whether the costs just go down or whether there are appropriate tax breaks,
I don’t know how it should be done, but we need anyone who is so inclined to
be able to go to college. We also need just as much reform for people who go
into programs for certifcations for jobs that don’t require full college
degrees. In this country, it should be affordable to go to college.
Reply
Vanessa •
10 months ago
I’m interested in why marriage was grouped in with the point on college benefts. The
others are pretty self explanatory – most people would want to earn more, avoid
poverty and unemployment, and live outside of their parents’ homes, given the choice
– but marriage, I’m not so sure.
It reminds me of the infamous “MRS. degree.” I know that attitude still exists, but
haven’t we largely gotten past the idea of people going to college to meet prospective
spouses and get hitched?
Reply
Richard Fry •
10 months ago
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
It is perhaps subjective to categorize marriage as a “beneft.” But some evidence
does indicate that marriage is valued or benefcial. First, let’s let Millennials speak
for themselves. According to an Oct 2010 survey conducted by Pew, 70% of
unmarried Millennials (without children) want to get married. So marriage is not
totally of ill-repute among Millennials. Second, there are some economic benefts
associated with marriage. Married persons tend to earn more and there is some
evidence, particularly for men, that marriage makes them more productive and
leads to higher wages. In terms of wealth, married households tend to be much
wealthier than unmarried households. So, while the connection between marriage
and education might not be so obvious, there is a basis for it.
Reply
Bill Achenbach •
10 months ago
1960 HS grad education equivalete to 2014 Coll grad, maybe part of the problem
Reply
Jerri Carr •
10 months ago
It’s funny the content and quality of reponses by those who have little college
education. If you have a college degree then you have most likely read a lot of
research, which in turns teaches you how to interpret the data. Quality research or data
never generalizes and if particular situations don’t “ft into” the parameters of that data
then most likely it’s an exception. Exceptions are often not discussed in data, but as
college educated persons, we all know that they exist, but this doesn’t invalidate the
data. Also, if one only looks at a college education as a means to make $$$, then likely
a college education will not be of much value to those types. A college education
inevevitably helps a person become a more well-rounded and quality human being.
Often, those who have no interest in making a positive contribution to this world may
be better off not wasting their time or money on college. Sad, but it is often true.
Reply
Tai •
10 months ago
Elitist much?
Reply
Jan •
10 months ago
Well, what you say sounds like college grads are the only “well rounded and quality
human being(s). That’s not necessary true. It’s your bias. There are a great many
people who are smart, talented, moral, bearing common sense, as well as tons of
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
crooks and bad people who are highly educated including university administrators
or professors.
Reply
Cameron •
5 months ago
In other words, all college graduates are better than everyone else. Yeah, okay. I
hope you’re not as snobby as your comment made you out to be.
Reply
Yoda •
10 months ago
To people who think that higher education isn’t worth it: good luck!
Reply
Jan •
10 months ago
Yeah, good luck to you, too, to think college graduation is everything that makes
everyone happy and prosperous.
Reply
Tobby •
10 months ago
How much research was conducted to consider the impact of the Great Recession on
college/high school employment rates? Should there not be some “normalization” of
this factor if we are to compare generational differences?
Reply
Andrea Caumont •
10 months ago
Hi Tobby, I ran your question by researcher Rick Fry, who responds:
Good questions. The study looked at many labor market outcomes and other
economic outcomes. So an in-depth analysis of each particular outcome was not
conducted. Care was taken to choose sensible comparison years. As discussed on
page 15 of the report, each year marked a year that was four years into an
economic recovery (or four years after a business cycle bottom), so temporally
they were similar points in the business cycle. However, the vigor of the economy
nationally may have been weaker in 2013 than the earlier comparison years.
Whether some type of “normalization” for economic conditions is appropriate
depends on what one is trying to identify. Our purpose was not to identify the
“pure impact” of being in a different generation. It
… Read more
Reply
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
BT RIchards •
10 months ago
Really…
digg.com/video/scared-straight-l…
Reply
Craig Hohnberger •
10 months ago
That was too funny! Good luagh to start the morning.
Craig Hohnberger
Reply
Joe Williams •
10 months ago
Ah, yes — college grads make more money, so college must be the cause. NBA players
are taller than those not in the NBA, so if you want to be tall, you should defnitely play
basketball.
Reply
Jorge •
10 months ago
I make more than double than what this article says a bachelor degree is worth and I
only have high school degree, and I am only 26.
I found that the “school of real life” proved to be more valuable, and so have my
employers.
My wife is a college grad, and it defnitely benefted her, so I am not saying its not worth
it. However, I would not “live by” this info.
I believe college has some value, in fact I am actually still in college, but I am in no rush
to fnish. My resume speaks louder than a piece of paper that cost $50k+. Going to
school and working a real job have shown me how much more valuable real
experiences are, as opposed to being stuck in a class room during the years where I am
able to learn and adapt the most.
Reply
RC •
10 months ago
@ Michael – Out of curiosity, what do you do vocationally that earns you double the
median without a degree at only 26?
Reply
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
BT RIchards •
10 months ago
I have a college degree and make 6 fgures. Your only point is their data is
inaccurate
Reply
Jesse •
10 months ago
Congratulations. You are an exception. This study is based on averages, and doesn’t
say anything about “living by” any of this info. It’s simply relaying information. The
fact of the matter is, for the typical young person looking to enter the job market,
having a college degree increases their chances of landing a good job.
Reply
Michael Musgrove •
10 months ago
Some personal thoughts about these reports. They tend to equalize “going to college”
and “attending college” with being a college graduate, not to mention one that has
thought out their plans for using their education before mailing out applications.
Semantics, yes, but as much as the terms are used, I’m not sure the people getting
involved think about it nearly enough or are advised of the important differences.
The people that start college these days are rarely the ones who fnish. While that may
be due to any number of factors, it’s likely due to not having the abilities to fnish in the
means of preparedness, both academically, and constitutionally. Face it: not everyone
is meant to own a college or graduate degree. If ev … Read more
Reply
Rob Lewis •
10 months ago
What kind of a statement is this?
“In addition to earning more, college-educated Millennials also have lower
unemployment and poverty rates”
I’m having a hard time imagining a world in which this would not be true.
Reply
Phewl MeWunce •
10 months ago
Well, yeah. It’s really hard to “earn more” than anybody if you are unemployed.
Reply
Nobody •
10 months ago
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
If 5 members of group M earn $100k/year, and 5 are unemployed for year, earning
nothing, the average income for members of M will be $50k/year. If all 10
members of group N are employed earning $40k/year, the average income for
members of N will be $40k/year. Group M earns more, but group N has lower
unemployment. Similarly, one group can have high poverty rates but earn more
because the top earners make lots of money.
Reply
30 Something •
10 months ago
Great points. Glad I found Ourtime.org, which led me here… Glad there are people
in my generation of “entitled crybabies who cant see a challenge through”, who are
now subject to a game of rules we didn’t write, who believe that trying to improve
things for the overwhelming majority of people in America, and on earth, is not not
an impossible task, not a futile and lifelong quest that will probably never see any
real fruition. Saw one of the founders letting fy with some real good stuff, tearing
it up on Cspan, and it was the frst time I could visualize someone from
My generation eventually in offce.
As another faceless, sharp, resiliant, yet underachieving millenial, who couldn’t
manage to stop working full-time long enough, or earn enough, to fnish paying
their own way through school, it makes one feel pretty bad for the mess OUR kids
have waiting for them- that is, if anyone I knew could even afford to have kids and
provide them a shred of opportunity in this lifetime, or 5 lifetimes. Thanks,
everyone in charge up until now, thanks 1%- Keep selling our future for a buck
today, leverage it all away for your personal gain- just be sure to explain to your
descendants a few gens away why they live in the fold of the 1% while the rest of
society struggles in squalor outside the walls that have been built to protect the
have’s from the have nots. I’m born and raised in Chicago, America’s “most livable
city” these days, wher … Read more
Reply
30 Something •
10 months ago
Oh yeah, and I’m white, btw…
Reply
Ed Underwood •
10 months ago
The key gap that was largely ignored in this article is the one between how much of the
loans are paid off for Gen Xers and Millennials. There is a huge spike in the number of
grads still paying on student loans between those two demographics.
Reply
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6 key findings about going to college | Pew Research Center
Andrea Caumont •
10 months ago
Thanks for the comment Ed. There’s actually a lengthy section on student loans in
the full report: pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/t…
One fnding you might fnd interesting:
“The biggest contrast is among graduates who have paid off their loans compared
with those who have not. Fully nine-in-ten (93%) of those who have already repaid
all the money they borrowed say that their degree has paid off, compared with only
59% of those who are still in the process of paying them off.”
Reply
Jen •
10 months ago
Does the report differentiate this for people who went to for-proft vs. nonproft colleges?
Reply
Tai •
10 months ago
I can’t imagine they do…I hope I’m not offending anyone, but ‘for proft’
colleges (in regards to a 4 year degree from them) are very scammy
sounding and seem to be regretted by many of their graduates.
Reply
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