Study Finds Lifetime Wage Gain From College Degree

While it is fashionable in some circles to question whether students gain economically from a four-year college degree, new data released Monday by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco suggest that the benefits are significant. Counting both the average costs of going to college and lost wages from time enrolled, the study estimates that the lifetime earnings premium for a four-year degree is more than $800,000. Further, most people with a degree recoup the costs of their education by age 40.