Insights from Ray Schroeder, Senior Fellow at UPCEA – The Online and Professional Education Association and Professor Emeritus of Communication – University of Illinois Springfield

Are Ivy League and other “name- brand” schools worth the high sticker price?

Wise consumers of higher education should begin with the outcome. What career or job is your desired outcome? In some cases, specific universities – not just ivy league universities – may provide the best record of placing graduates in a particular field or to particular employers. Each one of these pathways may be rather narrow. One should choose the university that best matches your needs, including cost, flexibility, reputation and relative success in placing graduates. This is a changing marketplace, so the prospective student should look at trends as well as past reputation.

What types of universities provide the best return on investment?

This varies not only by institution, but also by major or certificate concentration. Some private universities may be very expensive, but their returns are high in specific fields. Community colleges are among the most economical of institutions for the first two years of college. Sometimes, states support the tuition at two-year schools and often some classes can be taken concurrently with the last couple of years of high school. State universities often have high enrollments that can provide savings of scale to the institution, resulting in somewhat lower expenses that private universities. However, in the final analysis, the best decision often comes down to a wide variety of factors and preferences.

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