Below you'll find additional facts and links for topics covered in our broadcast series.

Who Goes to College?

• 66.7 percent of North Carolina adults age 25 or older do not have a college degree.  Of these, 41.3 percent have completed no more than a high school degree and 19.6 percent have completed some college but have not earned a degree.
  See page  p.19 here
  
• Over 60 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 25 and 64 has no postsecondary education credential.
  Read more here
  
• Low-income students in the Unites States are less likely to go to college today than high income students were 30 years ago.  In other words, while more low income students go to college now, they still don't go at the rate high income students went a generation ago.  Low income students have yet to "catch up" to the parents of their high income peers.  In the 1970s, 40% of students from the highest income families earned a BA by the age of 24; only 6% of the lowest income students did.  Now, 75% of the highest income kids earn a BA by 24; and only 9% of the lowest income kids do.
  Read more on p. 5 here
  
• While about 34 percent of white adults in the United States have obtained bachelor's degrees by age 25-29, the same is true for just 18 percent of African American adults and 10 percent of Hispanic adults in the same age group.
  Read more here
  
• 70% of young adults (18-24 years) in North Carolina are not currently enrolled in college 
  Read more on p. 24 here
  
• 96% of Hispanic young adults in North Carolina are not currently enrolled in college.  Another way to look at it: 3,100 young Hispanics in NC are going to college; 75,000 are not. North Carolina has the lowest college going rate for young Hispanics in the nation.  
  Read more on p. 24 here
  
• 38% of all college students in U.S. are 25 and older. The majority of these students attend school part-time.
  Read more here
  
• The United States now ranks 5th among nations in getting students to begin a college education; 35% of people in the United States start college.  The U.S. ranks 16th in getting people to complete a college degree; only 17% finish their degree.
  See p. 8 here
  

Why Does Going to College Matter?

• Adults with a bachelor's degree earn an average of $51,554
• Adults with just a high school diploma earn an average of $28,645
• Adults without a high school diploma earn an average of $19,169
• Adults with an advanced degree earn an average of $78,093
  More information from the US Census here
  
• In 1980, a male with a BA or higher earned 19% more than a male with just a high school degree. Now a male with a BA earns 67% more.  This difference in earnings is attributed in large part to the fact that earnings for those without college degrees has been going down since 1980 more quickly than earnings for those with a degree is going up. Earnings of those with less than a high school diploma decreased $5,200 from 1980-2004, while the earnings of those with a bachelor's or higher degree increased $2,700.
  Read more about this topic here
  
• The proportion of U.S. workers with high school diplomas and college degrees is projected to decrease over the next 15 years.  This projected drop in the average level of education of the workforce is because of large increases in segments of the young population without a high school diploma or college degree, combined with the retirement of the baby boomers-the most highly educated generation in U.S. history. In addition, the income of Americans is expected to decline.  Personal income per capita in the U.S. is projected to decline from $21,591 in 2000 to $21,196 in 2020-a drop of $395 or 2% in real terms. In contrast, personal income per capita grew 41% over the past two decades.
  There's more about this topic here
  

How Much Does College Cost?

• $12,605  - Current average tuition, room and board (for in-state students) at the nation's four-year public colleges and universities for an entire academic year; that is more than double the corresponding figure in 1990.
  
• $34,698 - Current average tuition, room and board at the nation's four-year private colleges and universities for one complete academic year; that is more than double the corresponding 1990 figure.
  More details can be found here
  
• Median debt levels among students who graduated from four-year colleges and universities were $15,500 for public and $19,400 for private institutions.
  Find out more here
  

What Role Does Financial Aid Play?

• Sixty-three percent of all undergraduates receive financial aid. Undergraduates are more likely to receive grants than loans, but the average grant amount is less than the average loan amount.
  Here you'll find more information
  
• The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of the federal government's financial aid program. In 1975, the maximum Pell Grant covered about 84% of attending a public college or university.  Today, a Pell Grant covers only 36% of that cost.
  See p. 4 of this pdf document
  
• Ten years ago, state grants to students who did not demonstrate financial need to attend college represented 13% of state grant spending.  Today, 27% of state funding goes to students who have not demonstrated financial need.  Non-need based grants by states have increased 350% in the past decade.  Need-based aid has increased by about 95%.
  See p.6 here
  
• In 1995, four year private colleges and universities gave the average student with a family income below $20,000 about $3,500 in institutional aid; a student from a family with more than $100,000 received about $1,300. In 2003, the average award to a low income student had increased by 52% (to $5,240); but the average award to students from families with income above $100,000 increased by 254% (to $4,806).
  See p. 7 here
  
• 50% of full time college students in the U.S. are employed
  Read more here