The Benefits of Higher Education

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In Vermont, the need for graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is accelerating. Indeed, our fastest growing occupations require some level of training or education in the years after high school.

College graduates also earn more over their lifetimes, are generally healthier, and are more involved in their communities than those without postsecondary experience. They contribute more to federal, state, and local taxes, and also tend to require less from state support systems, such as unemployment benefits, welfare, corrections, and health care. The benefits extend to workers with lower levels of education, who earn more when others within the community attain higher levels of education. Postsecondary education continues to bear fruit by contributing to the health, well-being, and opportunities available to successive generations. In short, it is clear that higher education provides a collective public benefit in addition to a private, individual benefit.

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Benefits Are Big

• College graduates are more likely to have healthy families, have children that perform well in school, vote, volunteer, serve on civic boards, and patronize the arts.
• Research suggests that college graduates also are more likely to engage in entrepreneurial endeavors—starting businesses and creating employment opportunities for others.
• College graduates earn nearly double that of high school graduates over the course of a lifetime—$2.1 million compared to $1.2 million.

Demand Is Great

• Nationally and locally, job growth depends upon increases in skills. More jobs are requiring increased levels of schooling as economies shift from manufacturing to knowledge-based enterprises. Between 2004 and 2014, an estimated 54 million jobs will open nationwide. Of these, 14 million will require a minimum of a four-year college degree, and an additional 15 million will require some amount of education beyond high school.
• Postsecondary education is becoming a must-have for many careers in Vermont. Of the 25 fastest growing occupations, 19 require some level of postsecondary education or training.

Download the data supplements to learn more about the benefits of higher education

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• Download the entire report



• Download the data supplements on the benefits of higher education

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• The Barriers to Expanding Access to Higher Education
  Financial barriers students, families, and institutions face and readiness barriers students encounter



• Postsecondary Options for Vermont Students
  The field of higher education comprises many organizations, institutions and options that students, families and other stakeholders—including philanthropists—must understand and navigate to be successful.



• Promising Approaches
  Vermont organizations employing promising approaches to make college more accesible and affordable and to prepare students for postsecondary success.

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