Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

A matter of degrees

Americans who go to college earn more money and are more likely to be employed than those who don't. These cold facts underlie President Obama's promising plan to offer a community college education at no cost to students.

Community College of Philadelphia students wait to receive their degrees in 2007.
Community College of Philadelphia students wait to receive their degrees in 2007.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Americans who go to college earn more money and are more likely to be employed than those who don't. These cold facts underlie President Obama's promising plan to offer a community college education at no cost to students.

Employers today are requiring more education even for entry-level positions. In five years, 35 percent of job openings are expected to require at least a bachelor's degree, and another 30 percent will require some college education or a two-year associate's degree, according to a Georgetown University study. In 2010, 32 percent of job openings required at least a bachelor's degree, and 27 percent required some college or an associate's degree.

But some students who are ready and willing to go to college can't afford it. Obama's plan aims to help them.

Under the plan, the federal government would pick up $6 billion a year of the cost and states would cover $2 billion. States would not be allowed to shift funds from their aid to four-year institutions.

The proposal requires students to maintain a 2.5 grade point average and show steady progress toward a degree. Colleges would have to offer classes that could be transferred to four-year schools for full credit.

Before the president asks for funding in his coming budget proposal, he will have to flesh out the details of the program's costs and standards. The standards he has proposed are a good start but should be toughened. For example, no community college with a relatively high dropout rate or low job placement rate should be included. Unconditional federal aid runs the risk of inflating costs as it has among four-year institutions.

Obama's plan is modeled after plans in Tennessee and Chicago. New Jersey already covers community college tuition for high-achieving high school graduates. But a program to help students in every state makes sense.

The income benefits of an education are dramatic. Among workers with high school diplomas, median annual earnings are about $34,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two-year degrees raise the figure to about $40,000, and bachelor's degrees bring it to about $58,000. Professional degrees are the most valuable, yielding median earnings of $89,000.

Moreover, Americans with no more than high school education face almost twice the unemployment rate of those with bachelor's degrees.

While some advocates fear the Republican-controlled Congress will reject the plan, it has potential bipartisan appeal. A better-educated populace would make the country more competitive, saving money on unemployment and other government programs while helping millions become more self-reliant.