College Education

Table of Contents

Introduction
College in America, 1600s–1800s
- College in the Early 1900s
- U.S. Colleges, World War II through the 1980s
- College Enrollment, Costs, and Purposes from the 1990s to Present
- College Education amid COVID-19
- Post-Pandemic College Experience
Pros
- Pro 1: Jobs increasingly require college degrees, and college allows students to explore careers and earn better job placements.
- Pro 2: Because they learn interpersonal and other skills in college, graduates are more productive as members of society.
- Pro 3: College graduates and their children are healthier and live longer.
Pro Quotes
Cons
- Con 1: College is not a guarantee of a job or better life.
- Con 2: Student loan debt strains college graduates, their families, and society.
- Con 3: Many people would be better served learning a trade or pursuing work right out of high school.
Con Quotes
Top Wealthiest Americans with and without College Degrees
- Source for Top Wealthiest Americans with and without College Degrees
College Educations of U.S. Presidents
Highest and Lowest Tuitions of Ranked U.S. Colleges and Universities
- Top Ten Highest Tuitions among U.S. News & World Report Ranked Schools
- Top Ten Lowest Tuitions among U.S. News & World Report Ranked Schools
Median Incomes v. Average College Tuition Rates
- Sources for Median Incomes v. Average College Tuition Rates
Student Loan Debt Compared to Other Household Debt
Highest Paying Jobs and Fastest Growing Jobs
- Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs
- Source for Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs
- Top 27 Jobs with “Much Faster Than Average” Growth
- Source for Top 27 Jobs with “Much Faster Than Average” Growth
Discussion Questions
Take Action
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Spelman College graduates

Read Next

Girl student writing in her notebook in classroom in school.

10 Common Questions Kids Have About School, Life, and Being a Student

Standardized test. Multiple choice exam sheet with pencil

Pro and Con: Standardized Tests

College graduation. University graduates in caps and gowns.

Pro and Con: College Education

Empty classroom, school

Pro and Con: School Vouchers

Father helping his son with his homework. Parent child student little boy

Pro and Con: Homework

Discover

United States Electoral College votes by state

How Many Electoral College Votes Does Each U.S. State Have?

The Jeff Koons tulips sculputure outside the Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao, Spain, Basque Country.

What’s the Difference Between Modern and Contemporary Art?

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

Abstract vector hi speed internet technology background

History of Technology Timeline

Town of Sisimiut located on the coast of the Davis Strait on Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay, Greenland

The Largest Islands in the World

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

College Education: Media

Is a College Education Worth It?

Images

Spelman College graduates

Spelman College graduates

Is a college education worth it?

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: