It’s obvious that price is an important factor in choosing a university or college, but the employment statuses of recent grads is just as important as the cost of the degree itself, a new poll revealed.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 37 percent of Americans view the price of college or university as the most important factor when choosing where they will go to school, while 41 percent view the job statuses of recent graduates for their prospective schools as most important.
The actual graduation rate at their prospective schools was of less importance to Americans, with only 16 percent viewing it as the most important factor.
Varying socio-economic levels also influenced what Americans viewed as the most important factor when choosing a future school, with higher income respondents being more likely than lower income respondents to view graduates’ job statuses as more important than the price of the school.
The price of higher education tuition may become of greater importance to more Americans, however, especially as the July 1 deadline for Congress to take action in preventing a doubling of student loan interest rates quickly approaches.
Prospective students should also be careful of how they weigh their options if they choose to judge their future school based on the jobs of its recent graduates because that may not truly reflect the school’s caliber. Recent job numbers have revealed that the job outlook for Millennials remains bleak across the board.
The Gallup survey was conducted on May 28-29 on behalf of Lumina Foundation with a random sample of 1,012 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. The margin of error is +/- 4 percentage points.
