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22 Sep 2016
Report

Degrees of Value: Differences in the Wages of Graduates From Virginia’s Colleges and Universities

As student debt piles up and college costs escalate, concern about the value of a college degree has grown. While a college education is an investment in human capital that leads, on average, to significantly higher earnings over the course of a person’s work life, the data in this report show wide variation in the payoff of a college education across different fields of study and among students completing different postsecondary credentials. Graduates of some programs have a much higher chance of attaining high earnings than graduates of other programs. Variation also exists across institutions, although program of study is often more important than the college or university attended.

The goals of the detailed information in this report and on the accompanying website are to help students make better informed decisions about carving out the best path through their postsecondary education, to aid them in wisely choosing their majors, and to guide them in figuring out how much money to borrow to help pay for their education. The data in this report show that wages of graduates vary considerably across programs and across institutions in Virginia.

PDF icon Degrees of Value: Differences in the Wages of Graduates From Virginia’s Colleges and Universities (PDF)

Related Projects

Project

College Measures

College Measures worked with state governments to help identify higher education credentials with high return on investment. Our work focused on jobs that present the best opportunities for students to launch exciting careers and on skills that students need to get those jobs, with the goal of helping them find programs that allow them to lead the lives they want.

Related Work

22 Sep 2016
News Release

The Payoff for a Virginia College Degree Varies Considerably by Type of Degree, Major and College

Is a college degree still a good investment even though tuition and student debt have skyrocketed? In general, the answer remains “yes,” but the adage that you “earn what you learn” comes with caveats, according to a new AIR study of short- and longer-term wages of four-year and community college graduates in Virginia.
15 Oct 2012
Report

The Earning Power of Recent Graduates From Virginia’s Colleges and Universities

The authors of this report, the result of a partnership between the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia and College Measures, explore the variation in first-year earnings for graduates from individual degree programs at individual colleges. The results show that the degrees students earn, and where they earn them, matter.

Topic: 
Postsecondary Education
10 Aug 2015
Index

Man with briefcase-512521661-245x165.jpg

Man with briefcase

AIR Index: Can You Earn Middle-Class Wages Without a Bachelor’s?

While a bachelor’s degree remains a good investment for most students, not all have the time, money, or inclination to complete the degree. Depending on subject studied and location, those with associate’s degrees or certificates often out-earn those holding a bachelor’s. Here are the fast facts.
Topic: 
Education, Postsecondary Education

Further Reading

  • The Payoff for a Virginia College Degree Varies Considerably by Type of Degree, Major and College
  • Degrees of Value: Differences in the Wages of Graduates from Minnesota's Colleges and Universities
  • Labor Market Experiences After Postsecondary Education: Earnings and Other Outcomes of Florida’s Postsecondary Graduates and Completers
  • The Earning Power of Recent Graduates From Virginia’s Colleges and Universities
  • Differences in the Wages of Graduates From Minnesota’s Colleges
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