One major college fit factor is cost. What does this mean for our non-traditional and military-centered students as they shop around for colleges that offer the best return on investment for their degree and experiences? Some top degrees for veterans include criminal justice, IT, and health and medical degrees. The degrees offer prime opportunities to fill the need in the labor market while aligning prior service experiences. Yet, in several U.S. counties 40% of our rural military veteransare living below the national poverty line and in many U.S. counties 20% of our rural military veterans are living below the national poverty line. Many military-centered students possess financial advantages to access higher education, in essence- they can afford the service to lift their economic circumstances. So, how are institutionssellingtheir product/education to this consumer base that results in such a high poverty rate for a percentage of military-affiliated families? One way to address this is by encouraging prospective students to understand the costs of college within a business mindset.

Many individuals working in higher education may not view U.S. universities and colleges as businesses. The idea of placing a price tag on the enlightened experiences gained through academic achievement seems out-of-pocket. Higher education institutions do create robust environments of learning, while fostering engagement with a diverse student-population making its value not easily quantified in a business-model. Certainly, academics can make the argument that the opportunities afforded to college students shape cultural awareness, something invaluable to the student and perhaps to society at large. Imagine a college marketing social experiences of dorm living, Greek Life, and tailgating as part of an economic bundle promotion. Dually absurd would be academic advisors offering red-labeled discount codes to the last minute sign-ups for spring registration to drive sales or enrollment. These may seem like good selling points, but often the business of doing collegeis left to the chief academic officers and advancement professionals. Students are rarely brought to the table and engaged in discussions about the consumer-driven aspects of the business model behind college fit.

The Cost of 'Doing College'

Is it precarious to assume that institutions of higher learning adopt a consumer-based model and embrace thecost of doing business from the student perspective? Afterall, isn't there an exchange of services for tuition? If we approachcollege fit with this same consumer-based business-model, would our selling points align, or would there be a negotiation of terms for enrollment? Certainly,college fit from the consumer viewpoint of the student is important when discussing policy and procedures regarding college transfer credits, credits for prior learning experiences, student access, and student success.

There are indeed overhead expenses for colleges to operate. The cost of collegecan easily include upkeep and maintenance of the campus and faculty and staff salaries, which further establish inputs and outputs of operational costs. While colleges and universities add in technology and other fees to their cost of college assessment and evaluate enrollment numbers to support their budget in the process, it is essential for college bound hopefuls to also have discussions aboutcollege fit and thereturn on investmentof earning a college degree.

Whether you support colleges adopting a business model premise or not, universities and colleges across the U.S. do indeed have a price. The cost of enrollment, room and board, books, and supplies are factored into tuition costs at rates both in-state and out-of-state which force many students to take outstudent loans. Until recently, many students were foregoing entry into the workforce to attend college on a full-time basis, but that is drastically changing due to the high cost and return on investment of some college degrees.

The Math isn't 'Math-ing'

There is a supply and demand in the workforce that urges college students to evaluate the payoff of their particular degree in today's market. College fitdecisions include thereturn on investment of a college degree. Upfront costs of college often include tuition, room and board, expenses associated with relocation to college and much more. Investing years of one's life at college also delays entry to the workforce. This could be assessed as initial lost wages by investing in college and postponing employment after high school or military service that is not easily quantified. Also included in this aspect of college fitis a needs assessment of the labor market for the particular degree and the jobs in the degree career cluster. For example, the national average for in-state tuitionat a public university is nearly $37,000. The national average salary for a college graduateis estimated at $55,000, which largely varies in degree field, career path, and state of employment.

The top 5 highest paid jobs requiring a 4-year degree probably won't surprise you. Unfortunately, the degrees with the lowest return on investmentin the job market remain consistent.

5 Highest Paid Jobs in the U.S.:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Economics
• Engineering

5 Lowest-Paying degrees in the U.S.:

• Family and Consumer Science
• Fine Arts
• Elementary Education
• Social Work
• General Education

Impact and Return on Investment for Military-Affiliated Students

Perhaps a percentage of college bound students in the military-affiliated community have been entering this laissez faire world of college fitwith too much goodwill and not enough due diligence when it comes to the ROI of their education. Military-affiliated students and families are encouraged to utilize their military service experiences and education benefits to yield a positive return on investment to uplift their lives. Perhaps college bound students in the military-centered community have been entering this laissez faire world of "college fit"with too much goodwill and not enough due diligence. Military-centered students and families are encouraged to utilize their military service experiences to yield a positive return on investment to truly get the most bang for their buck. Military-affiliated students should come prepared to admissions meetings and interviews with a number of ROI centered questions including but not limited to:

1. How many students gain employment in the first 6-9 months after graduation campus-wide?

2. How many students gain employments in the first 6-9 month after graduation in XYZ program?

3. What is the median salary of alumni in XYZ program?

4. How many students take out student loans to fund XYZ program?

Higher education staff/advisors should be ready to answer questions on the ROI of their programs and degrees to help military-affiliated students (and all students) make the best college fit decision that suits them.

Article Topics

Military Educational Benefits Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success

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