Earnings are the Key to Student Debt

Mark SchneiderPresident, College Measures

Vice President, AIR

Three main themes

• At the bachelor’s level, there are many paths into good pay in the labor market besides the most prestigious campuses

• The two-year technical degree is a valuable credential which can help graduates find well-paying jobs.

• Many certificates are a pathway to good wages.

A cross-cutting theme

• There is lots of variation in the first-year earnings of graduates.

• This variation is – Across degrees– Across fields– Across institutions.

• Where students study, what they study, and what degree they earn matters.

• Evidence is consistent across states– Here we will show Colorado and Texas data

Associate of Applied Science

Bachelor's Degree

Associate of General Studies

AA or AS Degree

High School Graduate (estimated)

$0 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $45,000 $50,000

$45,899

$38,860

$34,707

$30,539

$25,000

Figure 1: Statewide Median Wages, by Education Level

$7000

$5000

Colorado

Texas

$11,000

Texas

Two year technical degrees are valuable: Texas

Texas

Grads with academic two year degrees earn far less than grads with technical two-year degrees

Remember: median for technical degrees>$50,000

Variation across community colleges of grads with same majors: Texas

Certificates can pay off: Texas

For further information Go to:

www.collegemeasures.org/esm/

or contact: Mark Schneider

mschneider@air.org202.445.5056