An updated data tool assesses colleges’ return on investment

The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce released an updated data tool today that assesses the return on investment of different higher education institutions.

The revised tool includes all colleges and universities in the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and tracks returns within 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 years of enrolling. The tool also includes frequently asked questions, answered by Georgetown CEW researchers, to help students, parents and high school counselors navigate the data.

The updated data show that institutions that predominantly offer associate degrees or certificates, like community colleges, often have a higher return on investment a decade down the line than institutions that predominantly offer bachelor’s degrees. But after 40 years, the value of a bachelor’s degree outpaces the returns of the other institutions “in almost all cases,” according to a news release from Georgetown CEW.