Want to Search Earnings for English Majors by College? You Can’t

The New York Times reports:

If you have children and plan to put them through college, the tuition checks you will eventually write may add up to the largest expense you will ever face. Picking the right college will be one of the most emotionally complex financial decisions of your life.

But if you want to know what your children might earn one day if they pursue a particular major at a certain school, comprehensive data covering all students is not available to you. In fact, it’s illegal to collect it.

Yes, you read that right. You could easily spend days reviewing data on cellular coverage and pricing, or motor vehicle reliability. But when it comes to spending six figures on a college education, per child, the 2008 Higher Education Act prevents you from gathering anything specific about what the return on the investment might be in postgraduation earnings for all degree holders.


Now, a battle over a possible reversal of that policy is brewing. A bipartisan coalition of senators including Orrin Hatch and Marco Rubio on the right and Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden on the left (and similar lineups in the House of Representatives) has introduced multiple bills this year that would make the data available.

An article worth your time.