Many people consider college to be the best path to success, but with increasing cost of tuition and rising student debt, is this really the case?

Throughout our visualizations we will be measuring success by comparing annual income.

To start off, how does the amount of time you spend in school impact how much you make down the road?

As expected, the longer you stay in school, the more on average you make afterwards, and the biggest jump occurs between associates degrees and bachelors degrees.

Hover over each bar to see the exact value of the annual salary.

Looking more sepcifically at colleges, where are the most successful colleges located in the United States?

The most successful colleges tend to be located in big cities on the east and west coasts.

Use the slider or the text box to change the minimum salary you want to see. Hover over any point for more details.

So colleges in big cities are successful, but what economic background do these students come from?

There is a strong trend that suggests students from more affluent backgrounds also earn higher salaries. We also see that if a student wants to break this trend, then medical school is their best bet.

Click on a check box to filter schools by what degree they award. Hover over the highlighted area for more details. Hover over any point for more details.

However, not all investments are equal.

The size of the investment affects the value of the return, meaning that those who can afford the upfront cost reap the benefits.

However, comparing public schools to private schools, public schools have a steeper trend, suggesting that the ratio of return to investment is better.

Click on a check box to filter by public or private schools. Hover over any point for more details.

Financial aid is aimed at helping students pay the high upfront cost, but can those who take it pay it back?

The graphic suggests that those who need financial aid the most continue to struggle in paying off their debts. Looking at the amount of debt students graduate with, this is not because they take out more loans. Rather, the trend exists for every debt level, suggesting that even after getting their degrees, they still don't have the assets of their more affluent peers.

Click on a check box to filter schools by what degree they award. Click on any bar of the histogram to change the range of debt displayed. Hover over any point for more details.