A UT Degree: Yes, It’s Worth It

By Jordan Schraeder in Blog, Special on June 21, 2013 at 2:25 pm | 3 Comments

With tuition on the rise, it’s easy to stop and think: Wait, is getting a college education really worth it?

At UT, it is. And here’s the proof: The University of Texas has been named one of the top public colleges with the best return on investment over a lifetime. Longhorn grads earn approximately $464,200 more over 30 years than those without a college degree.

UT landed the #22 spot on the list, which was put out by College Database. The site looked at university alumni who had the largest 30-year earnings difference from those who don’t have a degree. Topping the list is the Colorado School of Mines, whose alumni earn on average $851,700 more over a lifetime than non-degree holders.

Two other Texas institutions made the cut: Texas Tech University came in at #41 with $328,000, and Texas A&M beat UT with a #8 finish. According to the list, Aggie alumni make $568,900 more over a lifetime—$100,000+ more than UT grads.

While some Longhorns may question the method behind that particular finding, it comes as no surprise that UT perennially finds itself on best-value lists. Earlier this year, UT was ranked sixth nationally for alumni salaries, and Kiplinger’s named it the 27th top-value among public universities.

Photo courtesy Antre via Flickr Creative Commons.

Tags: College Database, ranking, ROI, UT