College Education, Long-Term Benefits of

In the aggregate, college graduates lead different lives than those who are not college graduates. The completion of a college degree is often linked to individuals’ earning higher incomes than do those who have not completed a college degree, but there are other advantages related to completing a college degree. Of course, not all college graduates earn more than those who have not completed college degrees; there are people who are not college graduates who are fabulously wealthy.

Despite the existence of anomalies, this entry addresses the collective experiences of people who are grouped as either college graduates or those who have not graduated from college, recognizing that individual lives vary. Specifically, the entry discusses career development and lifetime earnings; health; marriage, divorce, and family life; ...