When we account for student debt payments, degree holders still outearn those who do not complete a degree by an average of $8,000 a year.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has unveiled its Higher Education Economic Indicators Tool , a comprehensive database highlighting the economic value of postsecondary institutions across local, state, regional, and national economies. “ACE’s Higher Education Economic Indicators Tool demonstrates in concrete terms the value of American higher education and how important our institutions are as drivers of economic prosperity,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell. “Instituti

For a half century, the most recession-proof story in mainstream journalism has been declaring that college degrees aren’t recession-proof. Every economic downturn produces headlines warning that diplomas have lost—or are losing—their value. “Two things about these stories have remained constant,” Kevin Carey, who currently directs the education policy program at New America, wrote in The New Republic in 2011. “They always feature an over-educated bartender, and they are al