Is college worth it?
That age old question for recent high school graduates remains as important as ever as recent economic conditions have made affording college even more difficult.
Of course, attending an online college does cut down on these costs, as students do not have to worry about relocating, paying for transportation, or quitting their jobs so that they can earn their degrees. These degrees are just as valuable, which has made them popular.
Someone who earns a RN-MSN degree from an online institution, for example, has the opportunity to find work at the same hospitals, clinics and universities as those who study at traditional schools. For this reason, we are seeing an increasing number of students forgo traditional schooling and getting their degree online on their own time.
It doesn’t take a college graduate to understand that if one decides to go to college after graduating from high school they end up spending a lot of money over the next 4 years while those who decide not to attend college end up making money over the next 4 years.
The question then becomes, in the long term, do college graduates end up making more money and having a higher standard of living than those who did not graduate from college?
An infographic (posted below) was recently published by DegreeJungle.com that statistically breaks down whether or not it is worth it to go to college.
In the long run, it turns out that it still is probably worth it to attain a college degree, although, college is obviously not for everyone.
Is College Worth It Infographic Highlights:
- Over the past 25 years, college tuition rates have risen 4X higher than the average inflation rates.
- 94% of parents expect their children to attend college.
- 75% of Americans believe that college tuition is unaffordable.
- 48% of 18-34 year olds didn’t go to college because it was too expensive.
- College graduates spend an average of $83,944 attaining a college degree while non-college graduates make an average of $130,400 in the 4 years after graduating high school.
- The average annual earnings for college graduates up until age 65 is $56,700; non-college graduates earn an average of $32,600.
- Over the course of a career, a bachelors degree is worth $821,956 more (65% more or 9.8X the cost of a degree) than a high school diploma.
- 86% of college graduates claim it was a good investment.
