--- title: Is a Bachelor's Degree Worth It? New Study Says Yes... Once You Turn 34 description: New research finds college grads trail early but surpass high school earnings by age 34, with higher lifetime income overall. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy has eight years of experience in personal finance journalism. At Money, he’s written extensively about student loans, including guides, explainers and breaking news. MuckRack named Adam one of the top 10 journalists covering student loans in the nation. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 499 covers: - Education - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Education - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes published: '2026-04-16T19:26:54.000Z' modified: '2026-04-16T19:26:54.000Z' section: Education tags: - College - News word_count: 661 canonical: https://money.com/college-degree-pays-off-timeline/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Young graduated student holding a diploma](https://img.money.com/2026/04/College-Recoup-Cost-Of-Degree.jpg) A college degree pays for itself, new research shows. It’s just a matter of time. Because of the [high cost of attending college](https://money.com/college-costs-rising-again/) plus the years outside of the workforce that it takes for college students to complete their studies, high school graduates out-earn college grads for the first 16 years of adulthood, according to findings from a [new study](https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/education-pays) by the nonprofit College Board. It isn’t until age 34 that graduates with a bachelor’s degree truly start to see the benefit in terms of earnings. ## College grads earn more over time ### Even with high college costs, degree holders typically earn significantly more over their lifetime. Explore your Student Loan options by clicking on your state below. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/ge73a22de9e3?ap_referrer=%2Fcollege-degree-pays-off-timeline%2F) “A college degree is one of the largest investments most families make, and students and families are right to ask what they can expect in return,” Jessica Howell, vice president of research at the College Board, said in a [news release](https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/college-degree-still-pays-student-choices-matter) Tuesday. “Education remains a powerful driver of opportunity, but there are differences in outcomes.” The College Board’s analysis determined this by looking at cumulative earnings for U.S. adults at all education levels, while accounting for the cost of attending college. From 18 to 33, high-school graduates have the upper hand because they started working and earning right off the bat and had no higher education costs, while college students delayed their earnings for four years to complete their bachelor’s degrees — and had to [pay those degrees off](https://money.com/college-prices-unfair-survey/). At age 34, high school graduates lose their advantage. By that time, the typical high school grad has cumulatively earned about $476,000, and the bachelor’s degree holder has, for the first time, earned more: $485,000. Every year following, the bachelor’s degree holder strengthens the lead, and the earnings gap grows. By age 64 — the oldest in the College Board’s analysis — the typical high school grad has earned just under $1.1 million to the four-year college grad’s $1.6 million. In other words, bachelor’s degree holders typically earn 46% more money in their lifetime than high school grads, even after accounting for the cost of college. ## A major caveat To be clear, the College Board’s analysis makes a few assumptions: that the full-time working age starts at 18 for high school grads and 22 for bachelor’s degree holders. Another assumption is that the bachelor’s degree was completed in four years, totaling roughly $92,300. In reality, just under half of bachelor’s degree-seeking students actually graduate in four years, according to [data](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d24/tables/dt24_326.10.asp) from the Department of Education. And not all college students start at age 18, either. Additionally, the earnings include all majors for college grads, and some majors are far more lucrative than others. | | Early-career income (ages 22-27) | Mid-career income (ages 35-45) | Unemployment rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Computer engineering | $90,000 | $131,000 | 7.8% | | Computer science | $87,000 | $120,000 | 7% | | Aerospace engineering | $85,000 | $130,000 | 2.2% | | Chemical engineering | $85,000 | $135,000 | 4.7% | | Industrial engineering | $83,000 | $100,000 | 4.2% | _*Adam Hardy for Money.com; NY Fed*_ For instance, computer engineering majors enjoy the highest wages among all majors for early-career grads ($90,000), and by mid-career they earn $131,000, according to the [New York Federal Reserve Bank](https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:outcomes-by-major). However, the unemployment rate among those majors is 7.8%, second only to anthropology majors at 7.9%. For all workers, regardless of education, the unemployment rate is 4.2%. On the opposite end of the income spectrum, pharmaceutical-related majors tend to earn only $40,000 early in their careers. Typical earnings for all grads straight out of college are about $46,000, according to the College Board. But New York Fed data shows that recent grads with 17 of some of the most popular majors — including hospitality, education and psychology — earn less than that. Assuming they find stable employment, computer engineering majors are likely to see the benefit of their degree long before age 34. Meanwhile, a psychology major might not see the perks until their 40s. In the end, though, college grads tend to come out on top regardless of major. “The question isn’t just whether education pays — it’s which pathways lead to the strongest outcomes,” Howell said. “This report illustrates the importance of where to enroll, what to study and completing a degree in a timely fashion.” ## Compare Student Loan companies to find the right fit ### Cover up to 100% of your college costs ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/24903/medium_b6089714-807b-4b5a-88f9-defb35d74711.png) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/d19ae9f77b68?bidid=4060074261&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=665427000&ptoken=5641d6dc55efd5fbb8e8aaca894d3161) ### Apply online in minutes ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/29957/medium_1bf2c50c-d2fe-4492-bad2-f4bca2475954.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/4d7236cf8c87?bidid=4060074256&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=665427000&ptoken=460b4bbb6356f07bb4e9007a84ef9fec) ### No fees ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38573/medium_5a7ddb75-a315-44cf-8526-1594057ec7d6.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/fe158949f845?bidid=4060074266&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=665427000&ptoken=c1ffd0a8eee7058a4102a9c785558067) ### Provides customized private loan options for students ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38575/medium_3b0e137f-8ec1-4f32-a340-85efa53e0aab.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/26a351d5dd36?bidid=4060074264&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=665427000&ptoken=4b129f021f62e2e443fbb8413e09fef1) ### Rates starting at 2.99% ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38576/medium_d3a42618-1276-44ce-95cf-561a8f89efa8.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/850585eed413?bidid=4060074269&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=665427000&ptoken=4a082bada292fc65d92a2e897ea92591) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/24903/medium_b6089714-807b-4b5a-88f9-defb35d74711.png) Reach new academic heights with College Ave [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/y61180a308af?ap_referrer=%2Fcollege-degree-pays-off-timeline%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/college-degree-pays-off-timeline/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Education", "item": "https://money.com/education/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bachelor's Degree", "item": "https://money.com/bachelors-degree/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is a Bachelor's Degree Worth It? 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