The ROI Riddle: Better Data on Graduates’ Earnings Is Coming Soon to a Dashboard Near You. Will It Make a Difference?

About a decade ago, the higher-ed world rallied around the notion of access. Everyone should go to college! Then it was completion. What’s the point of everyone going to college if too many will drop out, saddled with debt? Now a different concept has taken hold: value. How can colleges demonstrate that what they offer is worth the effort and expense? Attempts to determine the value of a college degree or credential have led to a recent surge of legislative efforts at both the federal and state levels to improve the data available to students on postgraduation earnings.