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The truth might be more nuanced though. Some colleges have better ROI than others. I assume there is a lack of good data on most colleges, because people who se
by dna_polymerase 7y ago
The truth might be more nuanced though. Some colleges have better ROI than others. I assume there is a lack of good data on most colleges, because people who see the actual ROI on any given college wouldn't go to bad schools and schools had more pressure to lower their rates (or invest in their programs).
- BeetleB 7y ago> Some colleges have better ROI than others. As is always pointed out when someone mentions ROI: No one should look at ROI when it comes to colleges. You can end up with more wealth going to a lower ROI school. What matters is how much more you earn than your costs (difference, not ratio). Spending $10K total for a very cheap undergrad and earning $30K/year means an ROI of 3. Spending $100K total for undergrad and earning $120K/year is a lower ROI, but you'll be a lot wealthier.
- mennis16 7y agoAdditionally, you have to be careful how the rankings source the salary number. Obviously distribution of majors at different schools is a big factor, but on top of that many rankings look at earnings within 5 years of graduation. If your program tends to produce doctors, lawyers, etc. (in particular when they choose to further specialize) the salary 5 years after graduation is obviously not very good, but lifetime earning likely is. My guess is if you take a random Ivy and a random state school, the Ivy is going to have a notably higher percentage that pursues a graduate degree, which means those 5 year numbers probably underrate the Ivy.