The Utah State Board of Regents estimates that a four-year degree from a state university that costs about $34,000 today will cost about $80,000 in 2023.

The College Board stated in its 2004 "Education Pays" report that, over their working lives, "typical college graduates earn about 73 percent more than typical high school graduates, and those with advanced degrees earn two to three times as much as high school graduates."

In 2003, the College Board reported, the average full-time, year-round worker with a four-year college degree earned $49,900, 62 percent more than the average full-time, year-round worker with a high school diploma, who earned about $30,800.