Ask whether college is worth the cost, and the conversation will quickly turn to jobs. Will graduates find employment? How much will they earn? Will their salaries justify what they spent or borrowed to attend?

These are necessary questions. College is expensive, and students deserve honest information about whether a degree will improve their economic circumstances. Institutions should be accountable for helping students graduate and preparing them for meaningful work. But in our effort to prove that college pays, we have begun to treat earnings as though they are the only return that matters. READ MORE