Paul Bacsich’s Post

The decline in the rate of college enrollment is not a mystery. The shift is in favor of employers engaging in skills-based training. What if colleges have lost the long game of the ROI of the credentials? Is the ROI unclear or is the consequence of not exploring options too high? The cost is simply outweighing the results—too many degrees for fields with low job availability. Indeed higher Ed is being affected by external factors like funding. https://lnkd.in/gWaweWYj

Love this from The Chronicle of Higher Education this morning. The benefits of a college degree are much more than the skills learned for future employment. "Going to college is an investment decision. It comes with benefits and costs. They do not need to be monetary, but it can be easier to think about it that way. Just like any investment decision, there are risks involved. College is worth it if the benefits are typically greater than the costs and the investment is not associated with extensive risk. If so, it may not be right for everyone, but in general it should be considered “worth it.” The benefits of college tend to be large. Evidence clearly documents that the wages of college-educated workers are considerably higher than that of workers with only a high-school diploma."

A quality #college education is transformative for individuals and entire communities. Attaining a #degree makes graduates highly #employable and ready to meet the growing demand for workers. The #experience of college adds tremendous value to a person’s life. More evidence is laid out in the recent column “Yes, college is worth it”: https://bit.ly/451uIyT

Why ROI Matters: Colleges should embrace accountability for what happens after graduation - AGB* April 2024 "Timeworn tropes about the self-actualization and honed powers of critical thinking students achieve through a degree or about the formative nature of the college experience, however accurate, seem to have lost their prior persuasiveness" "The public seems less willing than in the past to accept selectivity, faculty publications, or research advances as barometers of educational quality." "Institutions of higher education can no longer rely on vague assurances about a bright future to enroll students. Instead, colleges and universities must offer a public accounting of the concrete benefits of bachelor’s degrees to the students and governments that choose to invest in them. The most powerful way to showcase those benefits is by calculating and discussing with stakeholders the ROI of today’s bachelor’s degree." "Nationwide, more than half of graduates are underemployed a year after earning their bachelors’ degrees. Even a decade after graduation, three-quarters of those initially underemployed are still working in jobs that don’t require their degree" Question - Can ROI data be generated for Australian Bachelor Degree programs by provider? *The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) is the premier organization focused on empowering college, university, and foundation boards to govern with knowledge and confidence. John King Professor Barney Glover AO Andrew Norton Michael Wesley Simon Marginson Marty Bennett Alan Preece Natasha Bita Julie Hare Amy Baker Tracy Harris Peter Lewis Matt Durnin Jason Clare MP Sarah Henderson Danielle Wood Denis Blight Andrew Leigh MP Andrew Giles Vivek Sharma Dr. Marcus Bowles Caitlin Cassidy stephen matchett Innes Willox Phil Baty Nic Mitchell NICHOLAS Keung #highereducation #tertiaryeducation #qualityeducation #universities #graduateoutcomes #jobs #skills #intled #internationaleducation #internationalstudents

It is time to recognise that the more we educate young people the better. This should not be costing so much and we need to reevaluate degrees and push more apprenticeships which can be funded by business. We cannot carry on with this system which also disadvantages the poorer families. How many able young people don't get trained as they cannot afford to live at University or even just not work whilst they are there? STEM is crying out for more students who would love to do courses and be an apprentice if we give them the chance. #university #degrees #tuitionfees #apprentice BBC News - Why tuition fees are set to rise - and what this means for students - BBC News https://lnkd.in/evFkB9Ae

The UK's university admissions service, UCAS, is making a significant change for prospective undergraduates applying in 2026. Personal statements will no longer be required, with applicants instead asked to explain their motivation for studying a course, how their qualifications align, and their relevant extracurricular experiences. This shift aims to streamline the application process and ensure a more focused approach to evaluating applicants' suitability for higher education. #UCAS #UniversityAdmissions #HigherEducation

There is a lot going on in this article, and all of it is fascinating. 1. Four-year colleges are getting mad that community colleges are entering the bachelor's degree game and, in some cases, actively trying to stop the community colleges in their state from offering bachelor’s degrees because "community colleges offering four-year degrees weakens the systemness of public higher education." Hogwash. This is an uninformed opinion implying, and relying on, a long standing, and unproven, belief that community colleges are inferior to four-year schools when it comes to quality. #endccstigma 2. Some four-year schools are piloting programs reducing the hours needed to complete a bachelor's degree from 120ish hours to 90 hours. Basically, students do not take electives. They take the basics and the courses needed for their major and they get their degree. This plan cuts a four-year degree down to three. But not everyone is on board with this idea. One provost said, “I don’t buy that the learning outcomes are the same in 90 credits as in 120.” This is an interesting one. I learned a lot from my electives, but they also added a lot to my total costs. Then again, a few of them came in handy when I changed my major sophomore year. This reduction could be an innovative idea to help students afford a degree, but there are details that still need developing because it could be a fix that creates a bigger problem than the one it solves. 3. There is concern across higher education that costs keep students from pursuing the degree. Now this concern is evolving that as colleges look for ways to reduce costs, students will default to the schools offering the cheapest path to a degree. Yes, cost and quality are two different things. Cheaper is not always better or even good enough. Students will need to look deeper than just costs to make sure they are making the right choice and not just saving money. Buckle up. This article is an interesting ride. https://lnkd.in/gV8mDAyB #highereducation #studentsuccess #worktogethernotagainsteachother

Affordable University Options in the UK 1. Tuition Fees When looking for affordable university options in the UK, it is important to consider the tuition fees. Some universities offer lower tuition fees for certain courses compared to others. Additionally, there are various scholarships and financial aid options available for students who need assistance with covering the cost of tuition. 2. Part-Time Study Another way to make university more affordable is by considering part-time study. Many universities in the UK offer part-time programs that allow students to work while completing their degree. This can help offset the cos... > Readmore https://lnkd.in/egh-K9kU

Is College WORTH it? YES- and Walsh College is FOR SURE! 🙌 🎊 Checkout this recent piece in the The Chronicle of Higher Education detailing WHY and HOW a college degree is worth the investment. 💹 Highlights from the article: ✅ Your Major Matters! "...the return [on investment] varies based on college major. Students who major in certain fields (generally STEM & business) receive higher earnings, on average." Walsh College = Business + Technology/STEM majors = MAX ROI 💵 ✅ Completion is KEY 🔑 "Second, students need to graduate. As the former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said, 'The most expensive degree is the one you don’t complete.'" 🎓 Walsh College students are empowered to FINISH what they start. Our overall completion rates outpace other universities, and our retention & persistence rates are consistently above 85% (some programs in the 90's!) because we are BUILT for the busy professional balancing work, family, studies and life. At Walsh College, you earn your degree on YOUR time with the flexibility you need to succeed. And, you'll finish faster with our year round 11-week terms. 🏃♀️ 👩🎓 ✅ Health and Lifespan Benefits: "A college education also increases healthy behaviors (like exercise) and reduces harmful activities (such as smoking). It contributes to a wide and growing mortality gap between college- and non-college-educated adults. It may even make people happier." 🍏 🏋♀️ Our student satisfaction surveys consistently reflect the positive outcomes our students and alumni see in their lives as a result of their time with us at Walsh College. "Walsh changed my life" is a regular and repeated phrase we hear! 😃 ☑ Overall ROI: "College is worth it if the benefits are typically greater than the costs and the investment is not associated with extensive risk. If so, it may not be right for everyone, but in general it should be considered 'worth it.'" 💸 Walsh College hits every one of the above ROI targets - and then some! Flexible, affordable, built around hard-working professionals, we deliver in demand, market-aligned programs in #business and #technology. This is what we do, and it's what we've done for the past 100+ years! Is a Walsh College education worth it? YOU BET it is! Everyday, any day and forever and a day, your future and education are in good hands! Ready to join us for summer? www.walshcollege.edu/apply #bestcollege #ROI #worthit #readytosoar 🚀 https://lnkd.in/gbmKKiKa

Not my industry anymore but a few words for any parents on here with kids getting their A Level results today and may not have gotten what they wanted. 1. The Most Important Thing!! It's not the end of the world. It will feel like it for them, we know it will, but for so many courses Universities are actively looking for students to fill those spots. Especially now that International Recruitment has taken more of a dive. 2. Do your research, you have more time than you think. The UCAS website is great for unbiased opinions, the National Student Survey will tell you what actual students think of those courses and the Uni's themselves have every available Student Recruitment Officer and Admissions team member they have on the phones. One of my favourite stories from my one year of clearing was Amy Shimmin speaking to a kid on day 1 of clearing about joining one of our courses which was top 10 in the country at the time, him coming up to Stirling from the North West and staying overnight with his dad that day, me giving him a tour of the campus the next day and then him joining the uni once he got home. I know not everyone can do this but it shows that places don't fill up instantly at all universities. 3. Now is the time to explore outside the box. I will always recommend parents and students to look at Scotland for uni, especially through clearing as the ability to change your degree in the first 2 years is so powerful. But all of a sudden, you have the pick of Universities that do the course you are looking for. Many are lowering grade boundaries today, so why not consider some of those Uni's you discounted previously? Good luck to all you parents and also good luck to all my former colleagues manning the phones. Thankfully in Scotland we made more dreams of kids wanting to join from the rest of the UK than we broke, but I know it will be a tough day for many of you! Hopefully the higher ups get you all something nice as a reward. #studentrecruitment #clearing #University