UT System Break-Even Study
The University of Texas System is committed to providing an affordable education to Texans. In that effort, we must consider affordability across a student’s time with the university. The first phase is affordability during application and matriculation, making sure all Texans can access a first-class education. Then, as students move through their time at UT institutions, we must do what we can to ensure that no student drops out for financial reasons. And, finally, there is the question of affordability after graduation: what is the return on that investment? Is a college graduate financially better off than someone who chooses to enter the workforce directly after high school instead of going to college?
This report by the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis focuses on this third component: return on investment. How long does it take a UT graduate to recoup the cost of their education and delayed entry into the workforce?
To explore the final affordability concept—the return on investment—we will use the “story” of four young people graduating from a Texas high school: Jake, Brittany, Maria, and Carlos. Obviously, these are not real people, but they are representations of the medians of the populations used for this study.
- All four represent students who graduated from high school.
- Jake represents Texas workers with only a high school diploma. He did not go to college and instead entered the workforce immediately after high school.
- The remaining three represent students who entered a UT academic institution in Fall 2003 through Fall 2016 as first-time-in-college students who graduated within six years.
- Brittany represents graduates who completed within 4 years (with an adjusted cost of $20,600) working in Texas.
- Maria represents graduates who completed within 5 years (with an adjusted cost of $21,500) working in Texas.
- Carlos represents graduates who completed within 6 years (with an adjusted cost of $20,600) working in Texas.
Read the full Break-Even Study (PDF)
Explore the Break-Even Study (Sway)
Explore the Break-Even Infographic
