Higher ed report ranks Utah 24th

Utah ranks in the middle of states when it comes to completing higher education degrees, according to a new census report that shows adults with advanced degrees earn four times more than those who don't have a high school diploma.

Adults with no diploma earned only about $19,915 in 2005 compared to an average $79,946 for those with a master's, professional or doctoral degree, according to "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2006," released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Utah ranked fifth nationally in the percentage of adults over age 25 with a high school diploma at 91.5 percent in 2006. However, only 27 percent held a bachelor's degree or higher, ranking the state 24th. Nationally, 28 percent held degrees.

The District of Columbia ranked first with 49.1 percent, followed by Massachusetts with 40.4 percent and Colorado with 36.4 percent. West Virginia ranked last with 15.9 percent.

In Utah, higher education officials are concerned about a trend of fewer students entering and completing educational programs beyond high school, said Amanda Covington, spokeswoman for the Utah System of Higher Education.

"A lot of people probably think all is well, and we do have a lot of students going to college," she said. "That is not the case right now."

According to a 2004 Utah Foundation report, the state dropped from ranking 12th in the nation for those ages 45-64 holding bachelor's degrees to 31st for those ages 25-34, Covington said.

"It is a dramatic change," she said. "In other states we have seen the same thing. The U.S. as a whole has seen educational attainment slip as well."

Any education beyond high school improves salary potential, Covington said. Bachelor's degree holders earned an average $54,689 in 2005 compared to $29,448 for those with a high school diploma, according to the report.

"It transfers to self-sustaining adults who can provide for families," she said. "It says a lot for contributions to the economy and the level of citizenry we have as far as healthy adults, those who volunteer and vote. Education translates to so many things."

Covington said the state's higher education institutions have a goal of increasing enrollment by half a percentage point per year. The Legislature helped those efforts this year with an infusion of funds to help needy students pay for college and to provide advisement to retain students, she said.

A key program, Utah Scholars, aimed at encouraging eighth-grade students to take a rigorous course of study to better prepare for higher education, received a one-time $500,000 appropriation this year.