REATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMO tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSERwww.collegeboard.org FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT ER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT R WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSE MORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tG tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT T:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tST REATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMO tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT ER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT R WEALTFIVEMORE SECURIT BETTER EDHEALT STRONGER COMMUNIT CLOSE )t :t )t :t MORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tG tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT T:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tST WREATER WEALTAYS)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTERPAYS HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMO tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT ER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT R WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER FiveHEALT)t powerfulSTRONGER COMMUNIT :tCLOSE MORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tG tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMILways:tGREATER a college WEALT)tMORE SECURIT T:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tST REATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTERdegree HEALT )tcanSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:ttransformCLOSER FAMIL:t GREATERyour life WEALT )tMO tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT ER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATERand WEALT lifestyle.)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT R WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSE MORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tG tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT T:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tST REATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMO tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT ER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT R WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSE MORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tG tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT T:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tST REATER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:t EALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER F ER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tMO STRONGER COMMUNIT: CLOSER FAMIL: GREATER WEALT) MORE SECURIT The Five Ways For most students who go to college, the increase in their lifetime earnings far outweighs the costs of their education. That’s a powerful argument for college. But more income is by no means the only positive outcome you can expect. The knowledge, fulfillment, self-awareness, and broadening of horizons that come from a college experience can transform your life — and the lives of those around you — in other equally valuable ways. More security, better health, closer family and stronger community, in addition to greater wealth, are the real value of a college education.

GREATER WEALTH CLOSER FAMILY I will buy a car. A home. The latest I will pass my experiences on to my fashions. I will travel the world. children. I will inspire them to achieve even more than I do. MORE SECURITY I will stand on my own two feet. STRONGER COMMUNITY I will be able to take care of my family I will bring people together. I will through both good times and bad. speak on their behalf. I will make change happen. BETTER HEALTH I will have the energy to juggle work and family. To keep up with my friends. To enjoy the world around me.

ycg.org/edpays 1 Greater wealth means more choices. Whatever your dreams — owning a home, traveling the world — college is the way to support a richer life. The way to find a career that delivers greater wealth.

GREATER WEALTH

2 FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: GREATER WEALTH

Individuals with a college degree earn an average of $22,000 more per year than those with only a high school diploma.

$55,700

4-Year College Degree

$33,800

High School Diploma

$0 Yearly Earnings $60,000

Median Earnings of Full-Time Year-Round Workers Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 2008 Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009; Internal Revenue Service, 2008; Davis et al., 2009.

4 ycg.org/edpays FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: GREATER WEALTH

Individuals with a college degree earn an average of 63% more in hourly wages than those with only a high school diploma.

10

10 10 163% 10

100%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Median Hourly Wage Gain per Year of Schooling, 1973, 1989, and 2007 Source: Autor, 2010.

ycg.org/edpays 5 More security means less worry. Less worry that you won’t be able to support yourself or the people you love. That you’ll have to rely on others to get by. College is a way to achieve independence. To achieve more security.

MORE SECURITY

6 FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: MORE SECURITY

Individuals with only a high school diploma are about twice as likely to be unemployed as those with a college degree.

9.7%

High School Diploma

4.6% 4-Year College Degree

0% Unemployment Rate 15%

Unemployment Rates of Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 2009 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010c.

8 ycg.org/edpays FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: MORE SECURITY

Individuals with a college degree are much more likely to receive employer-provided health insurance than those with only a high school diploma.

100%

68%

50% Percentage Covered

0%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Employer-Provided Health Insurance Coverage Among Private Sector Workers Ages 18–64 Working at Least Half-Time, by Education Level, 2008 Source: Economic Policy Institute 2010.

ycg.org/edpays 9 Better health makes everything else possible. It gives you the strength to take on life’s challenges. To enjoy the opportunities that come your way. College is where you can build the knowledge and skills to maintain better health.

BETTER HEALTH

10 FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: BETTER HEALTH

Young adults with a college degree are much less likely to be obese than those with only a high school diploma.

34% 20%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Obesity Among Adults Ages 25 and Older, by Age and Education Level, 2008 Sources: NCHS, 2008 National Health Interview Survey, calculations by the authors.

12 ycg.org/edpays FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: BETTER HEALTH

Individuals ages 25 to 34 with a college degree are much more likely to engage in vigorous exercise than those with only a high school diploma.

100% Light to Moderate Vigorous

81%

63 71% % 68% 50 % 45 % 54%

37 45% % Exercise Rate

27 %

23 21 % 18 % 18 17 % % %

0%

Not a High School High School Some College Associate Degree Bachelor’s Degree Graduate Diploma No Degree or Higher

Exercise Rates Among Adults Ages 25–34, by Education Level, 2008 Sources: NCHS, 2008 National Health Interview Survey, calculations by the authors.

ycg.org/edpays 13 Closer family comes from sharing life experiences, from passing on knowledge, from inspiring the next generation to achieve even more than the last. College is an opportunity for you to broaden your world, to create the foundation for a closer family.

CLOSER FAMILY

14 FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: CLOSER FAMILY

Children of parents with a college degree are much more likely to be read to every day than children of parents with only a high school diploma.

100%

68%

41% Percentage of Children

0%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

School Readiness of Preschool Children Ages 3–5, by Parents’ Highest Education Level, 2007 Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2007.

16 ycg.org/edpays FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: CLOSER FAMILY

Parents with college degrees are much more likely to have attended a concert or live show with their children than parents with only a high school diploma.

22% 37%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Percentage of Kindergartners Through Fifth-Graders Whose Parents Reported Participating in Education-Related Activities with Their Children in the Past Month, by Parents’ Highest Education Level, 2009 Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2009, Table 24.

ycg.org/edpays 17 Stronger community means more cooperation, more collaboration — and more progress in understanding and solving the issues we face as a society. College is where you can shape your views on those issues. Find your voice. And build a stronger community.

STRONGER COMMUNITY

18 FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: STRONGER COMMUNITY

Individuals aged 18 to 24 with a college degree were much more likely to vote in the 2008 election than those with only a high school diploma.

70% 40%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Voting Rates Among U.S. Citizens Ages 18–24, by Education Level, 2008 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008.

20 ycg.org/edpays FIVE WAYS ED PAYS: STRONGER COMMUNITY

Individuals with a college degree are more than twice as likely to volunteer as those with only a high school diploma.

100% Volunteer Rates Volunteer 43%

19%

0%

High School Diploma 4-Year College Degree

Volunteer Rates Among Individuals Ages 25 and Older, by Education Level, 2009 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009f, Table 1 and Table 2.

ycg.org/edpays 21 GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGR MUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER W TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT) ECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGE NGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:t MMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER CLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tM )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)t TTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGR MUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER W TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT) ECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGE NGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:t MMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER CLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tM )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)t TTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tWGR MUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER W TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT) ECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGE NGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:t MMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER CLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tM )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)t TTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGR MUNIT CLOSER FAMIL GREATER W About The College Board :t :t TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT) the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, ECURIT BETTER HEALT STRONGE the membership association is made up of more than 5,900 of the world’s :t )t leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence NGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:t and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through MMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER programs and services in college readiness and college success — CLOSER FAMIL GREATER WEALT M including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization :t )t also serves the education community through research )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)t and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools. TTER HEALT)tSTRONGER COMMUNIT For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org. GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGR The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center was established to help MUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER W transform education in America. Guided by the College Board’s principles of excellence and equity in education, we work to ensure that students from TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. MORE SECURIT BETTER HEALT We make critical connections between policy, research and real-world )t :t ) practice to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges ECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)tSTRONGE in education today. NGER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:t advocacy.collegeboard.org MMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER © 2011 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement Program, AP, CLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER WEALT)tM SAT and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. )tMORE SECURIT:tBETTER HEALT)t TTER HEALT STRONGER COMMUNIT 11b-4427 110504672 )t GER COMMUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGR MUNIT:tCLOSER FAMIL:tGREATER W TER WEALT)tMORE SECURIT:tBETT