Undergraduate economics degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities increased almost 12 percent from 2013 through 2015, then stabilized at a little above the 2015 level until 2018, after which they began an accelerating decline over the past five years to end back at a little below 2015 levels.

Over the years, students gained new skills, making them more productive workers, by studying at America's community colleges. Today, millions of these former students are employed in the U.S. The accumulated impact of former students currently employed in the U.S. workforce amounted to $898.5 billion in added income for the U.S. economy in fiscal…

This report provides comprehensive data about the tuition and fee prices published by public higher education institutions in the West for academic year (AY) 2024-25, including changes in tuition and fee rates over the past one-, five-, and 10-year periods. For the first time, the report includes tuition and fees from each of the U.S. Pacific…

Higher education could be one of California's most effective tools for combating economic and social inequities. College graduates experience large wage gains and their jobs offer more benefits than those of workers without bachelor's degrees. College graduates are also relatively insulated from recessions--including the current downturn--and…

The State University of New York (SUNY) is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, currently providing affordable, quality higher education to about 1.4 million students across its system of 64 college and university campuses and its entire portfolio of credit- and noncredit-bearing courses and programs,…

This poll was conducted between August 2-6, 2024 among a sample of 2,252 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results based on the full survey have a measure of precision of plus or minus 2.32 percentage…

This report provides insights into the challenges and factors affecting first-year students' motivation and success as they enter college, including the significant mental toll from the pandemic and economic uncertainty. The findings in this report are taken from data collected in 2022 from nearly 80,000 student records of first- and second-year…

From acting in an award-winning film to producing a number one album, getting to the top of the creative industries is a dream for many young people. But access to such careers, both behind the scenes and in front of an audience, is currently far from equal. For young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in particular, there are major…

Undergraduate economics degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities were stagnant from 2010 (2009-10) through 2013, increased almost 14 percent from 2013 through 2015, and have subsequently stabilized at just above one percent annual growth.

The manufacturing workforce has been shaped by decades of industry transformation. Modern manufacturing requires workers with a diverse set of skills to perform functions such as research and development (R&D), product and production design, marketing and sales, and customer support. While workers with a high school diploma or less dominated…

Commonfund's Higher Education Price Index® (HEPI) data show that costs for colleges and universities rose 3.4 percent in FY2024, a decreased rate of inflation compared with 4.0 in FY2023 and 5.2 percent in FY2022. (FY2024 covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and coincides with the budget year of most educational institutions.)…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the global and U.S. economy more profoundly than any other event since World War II. Just as the subprime mortgage crisis ushered in an 18-month economic decline and an ensuing state budget crisis, the current economic slide threatens to leave us in an even larger fiscal hole. Since COVID-19 hit, millions of…

Majoring in business typically pays off. While graduates' earnings and federal student loan debt vary by institution and degree level, the majority of business programs lead to median earnings that are roughly 10 times graduates' debt payments two years after program completion. "The Most Popular Degree Pays Off: Ranking the Economic Value of…

Commonfund Higher Education Price Index® (HEPI) data show that costs for colleges and universities rose 4.0 percent in FY2023, a decreased rate of inflation compared with 5.2 percent in FY2022 and up from 2.7 percent in FY2021. (FY2023 covers the period from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, and coincides with the budget year of most institutions of…

This is the technical appendices for the report, "Higher Education and Economic Opportunity in California." Lower rates of college access and completion among Latinos, African Americans, and low-income Californians exacerbate the state's economic divide and puts California further behind in meeting its workforce needs. And even though a…