A Message from the President | University of Colorado

EdPays Colorado falls short

Providing students and parents with a sense of the earning potential of post-secondary education degrees is a worthy goal. Unfortunately, the recent Ed Pays report commissioned by the Colorado Department of Higher Education falls woefully short of the mark, and may actually hurt the cause.

In case you missed it, EdPays compiled reams of data about what graduates of varying levels of college (community colleges, four-year institutions, research universities) can earn one year, five years and 10 years after graduating. The caption of the graphic accompanying a story in The Denver Post states that the report shows "bachelor's degrees might not be the best path to the middle class for Colorado students." The story goes on to note that early-career earnings of those with "technical, career-oriented associates degrees – or even some certificate programs – can meet or exceed those of graduates with many bachelor's degrees."

The problem is, the study is flawed and its data terribly incomplete, misleading even. The attempt to rebrand it, from "College Measures" in 2013 to "EdPays in Colorado" this year didn't even hide its flaws. After the initial version, I called the CEO of the company that did the research to take issue with his methodology. As a result, at least this year's version looked at a longer time horizon than the 2013 version, which looked at one year after graduation, but key data are still missing.

Few would argue that an education, particularly a college education, is a good thing. But it's not the be-all, end-all. Certainly there are plenty of examples of people who have been successful without earning a degree. Yet in our society, especially in our knowledge economy that places a growing premium on a highly skilled workforce, a college degree is the coin of the realm.

So it's interesting, and disappointing, that Education Pays did such a shoddy job of reflecting the imperatives of today's economy. First, the study represents 40-44 percent of degree completers. A good chunk of the more than half of those omitted occupy some of the high-earning jobs in our technical economy.

Ed Pays did not count graduates who move out of state (many to take good-paying jobs). It doesn't count those who work for the government, Colorado's largest employer. It doesn't count graduates pursuing advanced or professional degrees. It doesn't count entrepreneurs. In short, it fails to account for more than half of graduates, which include many from CU and many in high-paying careers.

Studies that give students and parents information about careers beyond college is a good idea. Giving them incomplete pictures is not.

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