A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, “A First Try at ROI: Ranking 4,500 Colleges,” shows that LSU is No. 1 in the SEC among public universities in one of the important return on investment categories highlighted by the study and is highly ranked among national peers, according to an LSU announcement.
According to the Georgetown study, LSU is highly ranked in earnings-to-debt and net present value metrics.
When looking at earnings-to-debt return, which expresses how a student’s earnings 10 years after enrollment compare with median total debt, LSU is the top-ranked university among all public SEC schools, and the second among public schools in Louisiana, with Louisiana Tech coming in first. When looking at earnings-to-debt return among public universities with a high research designation, LSU ranks 13th overall in the country.
To calculate return on investment, the Georgetown report uses expanded College Scorecard data to calculate the net present value and earnings-to-debt return, among other metrics, of a credential from 4,500 colleges, including traditional two-year and four-year public and private colleges, as well as for-profit colleges and training academies. The center also developed an online table of the 4,500 colleges that allows users to sort data on tuition, median student debt, and median earnings for each institution.
“Everyone is asking, ‘Is college worth it?’ and we set out to try to find an answer,” says Anthony P. Carnevale, lead author and CEW director. “Not only will it help students, but this kind of information on the costs and benefits of higher education holds institutions more accountable.” For the full report and sortable tables of 4,500 colleges and universities ranked by various ROI metrics, visit http://cew.georgetown.edu/CollegeROI.
