The Economist: America's higher education not what it used to be

Our take: American universities continue to be ranked among the best in the world. For decades, a college degree has been an essential for young Americans wanting to succeed in their careers. But that dynamic is beginning to be undermined.

Between rising tuition costs, student and university debit and the uncertain job market, many are beginning to question the value of a college education. In this article, The Economist analyzes the current state of America's higher education.

On the face of it, American higher education is still in rude health. In worldwide rankings more than half of the top 100 universities, and eight of the top ten, are American. The scientific output of American institutions is unparalleled. They produce most of the worlds Nobel laureates and scientific papers. Moreover college graduates, on average, still earn far more and receive better benefits than those who do not have a degree.

Nonetheless, there is growing anxiety in America about higher education. A degree has always been considered the key to a good job. But rising fees and increasing student debt, combined with shrinking financial and educational returns, are undermining at least the perception that university is a good investment.

Concern springs from a number of things: steep rises in fees, increases in the levels of debt of both students and universities, and the declining quality of graduates. Start with the fees. The cost of university per student has risen by almost five times the rate of inflation since 1983 (see chart 1), making it less affordable and increasing the amount of debt a student must take on. Between 2001 and 2010 the cost of a university education soared from 23% of median annual earnings to 38%; in consequence, debt per student has doubled in the past 15 years. Two-thirds of graduates now take out loans. Those who earned bachelors degrees in 2011 graduated with an average of $26,000 in debt, according to the Project on Student Debt, a non-profit group.

Read more about the state of America's higher education on The Economist.