U.S. and state officials are intensifying efforts to hold colleges accountable for what happens after graduation, a sign of frustration with sky-high tuition costs and student-loan debt.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) are expected to reintroduce this week legislation that would require states to make more accessible the average salaries of colleges’ graduates. The figures could help prospective students compare salaries by college and major to assess the best return on their investment.
Seems silly, given the fact that so many of the almost-guaranteed employment universities are also the most expensive. And there’s more good news-it’s really well thought out.
The Wyden-Rubio bill doesn’t spell out exactly how this information has to be assembled. The goal is that students and parents could use the U.S. Department of Education website to query data from all 50 states. But the bill relies on states to knit together wage data submitted by employers with information on graduates submitted by colleges.
What’s also missing is a way to measure the actual efforts of graduates to get work that reflects well on their institutions. The presumption that everyone is hitting the streets and giving it their best shots seems a bit far fetched.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member