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05.10.13

Record Share of New Mothers are College Educated

Mothers with infant children1 in the U.S. today are more educated than they ever have been. In 2011, more than six-in-ten (66%) had at least some college education, while 34% had a high school diploma or less and just 14% lacked a high school diploma, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of [...]

11.05.12

Record Shares of Young Adults Have Finished Both High School and College

Record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available census data. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29-year-olds have completed at least a bachelor’s degree. These across-the-board increases have occurred despite [...]

11.05.12

Higher Achievements: U.S. High School and College Completion Rates Continue to Climb

Record shares of young adults are completing high school, going to college and finishing college. In 2012, for the first time ever, one-third of the nation’s 25- to 29-year-olds have completed at least a bachelor’s degree.

04.19.12

A Gender Reversal On Career Aspirations

In a reversal of traditional gender roles, young women now surpass young men in the importance they place on having a high-paying career or profession.

08.28.11

The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

As online college courses are becoming more prevalent, the public is skeptical about their educational value. According to a recent Pew Research survey, only 29% of Americans say online classes are equal in value to classes taken in person.

08.17.11

Gender and Education

The gender gap in college education is the subject of a new Pew Research Center report that includes analysis of public opinion data and of Census Bureau statistics. Women surpass men among recent college graduates, and women also have a more positive view of the value of a college education. The report includes Current Population [...]

08.17.11

Women See Value and Benefits of College; Men Lag on Both Fronts, Survey Finds

At a time when women surpass men by record numbers in college enrollment and completion, they also have a more positive view than men about the value higher education provides.

05.16.11

Lifetime Earnings of College Graduates

A new Pew Research Center analysis, using Census Bureau data, estimates that the typical adult with a bachelor’s degree (but no further education) will earn $1.42 million over a 40-year career, compared with $770,000 for a typical high school graduate.

05.15.11

Is College Worth It?

College costs are rising, student debt is mounting, and most Americans say college fails to deliver good value for the money. Meantime, only 19% of college presidents say the U.S. system is the best in the world. However, more than eight-in-ten college graduates say college was a good investment for them personally.

11.23.10

The Rise of College Student Borrowing

Graduates who received a bachelor’s degree in 2008 borrowed 50% more than their counterparts who graduated in 1996, while graduates who earned an associate’s degree or undergraduate certificate in 2008 borrowed more than twice what their counterparts in 1996 had borrowed.

06.16.10

Minorities and the Recession-Era College Enrollment Boom

The recession-era boom in the size of freshman classes at four-year colleges, community colleges and trade schools has been driven largely by a sharp increase in minority student enrollment.

05.13.10

Census Data Point to Low Hispanic GED Attainment

Among Americans who have not obtained a regular high school diploma, Hispanics are less likely than members of other major U.S. race and ethnic groups to acquire a General Educational Development (GED) credential.

10.29.09

College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge

The share of 18- to 24-year-olds attending college in the United States hit an all-time high in October 2008, driven by a recession-era surge in enrollments at community colleges.