Postsecondary Commission Finds Bachelor’s Degrees Return $87,000 in 15 Years
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jun 25
Postsecondary Commission Finds Bachelor’s Degrees Return $87,000 in 15 Years
2 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jun 25
Summary
$86,806 in extra net income is the average payoff for a bachelor’s degree 15 years after enrollment, based on a Postsecondary Commission study of nearly 1 million students at 86 Texas public colleges.
$533,151 in cumulative earnings for bachelor’s students compared with $432,996 for similar non-college Texans produced that gain after subtracting education costs, with college-goers falling about $34,000 behind by year five before catching up around year 10.
$204,686 was the highest return for engineering and architecture majors, while liberal arts ranked lowest at $35,410, though every major still showed a positive long-run payoff.
27 Texas colleges delivered higher lifetime earnings than the non-college comparison group, while two did not; the report included non-completers, and researchers said stronger graduation rates generally aligned with better returns.
22% of U.S. adults in a 2024 Pew survey said college is worth it for students who must borrow, underscoring why return-on-investment studies are gaining attention as tuition prices remain a central concern.
If graduates only out-earn others after ten years, is the short-term financial struggle worth the long-term payoff?
With Texas freezing tuition and federal rules demanding ROI, is college becoming a purely transactional investment?
As ROI becomes the main measure of a degree's worth, what essential societal values are we at risk of losing?
Bachelor’s Degree ROI in 2026: Earnings, Equity, and Adapting to an AI-Driven Future
Overview
As of mid-2026, the financial landscape of higher education is rapidly evolving, with new large-scale studies providing clearer insights into the tangible returns of a college degree. Recent analyses of nearly a million students show that earning a bachelor’s degree continues to offer a substantial financial advantage, with degree holders projected to earn significantly more than those with only an associate’s degree. Notably, the value-added earnings for low-income students are slightly higher than for their higher-income peers, highlighting the degree’s potential to improve economic mobility. These findings underscore the enduring economic benefits of higher education amid changing public perceptions and job market demands.