Alaska’s state university system is delivering some of the best bargains in the nation in terms of Alaskans’ earnings after graduation compared with what they pay for their college degrees or certificates.
A new Georgetown University study of 4,529 U.S. universities and colleges, including vocational and career institutions, put the University of Alaska system near the top the heap.
University of Alaska Anchorage ranked in the top 15 percent of the nationwide sample group in terms of the long-term, 40-year earnings from a four-year college degree. University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of Alaska Southeast weren’t far behind.
“What’s important about this is that is shows that students in Alaska’s universities are getting a very good return for their investment. UAA shows up as having particularly good value but UAF and UAS aren’t far behind,” said Erin Holmes, in UAA’s Institutional Research Group.
UAA graduates carried an average of $9,597 in debt, the Georgetown survey showed. After 40 years, UAA graduates had earned $963,000 in Net Present Value, according to the survey. With that, UAA ranked 696th out of 4,529 institutions of higher learning in the study. UAF graduates carried $9,500 in debt, on average, and earned $827,000 after 40 years, in Net Present Value. At University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau graduates carried an average debt load of $9,152 and earned $765,999 after 40 year, again in Net Present Value.
Alaska’s state university system is delivering some of the best bargains in the nation in terms of Alaskans’ earnings after graduation compared with what they pay for their college degrees
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Source: UA system in top 15 percent of Georgetown ROI study – Press, Tim Bradner
UA Workforce Development News 