Stories this photo appears in:

Tease photo

Texas Grads Earn 11th Most in U.S.

Higher education is a significant investment, and the cost of pursuing an undergraduate degree has grown exponentially over the past few decades. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, one year of undergraduate education today costs about the same as four years of undergraduate education did in 1980. Over the same time period, post-graduation earnings have remained relatively flat after adjusting for inflation. The combination of rising tuition and low wage growth has brought the value of higher education programs into question.