In 2022, the average annual income of a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in the United States was 52,000 U.S. dollars. This is a decrease from the previous year, when the median income for college grads was around 56,156 U.S. dollars.

Average earnings, by age group and highest level of education, from the 2016 Census of Population.

University graduates in England had an average annual salary of 40,000 British pounds a year in 2023, 10,500 pounds higher than the average salary for non-graduates. People with postgraduate degrees earned an even higher average salary at 45,000 pounds, a difference of 5,000 pounds when compared with undergraduate degrees.

In an impressive increase from years past, 39 percent of women in the United States had completed four years or more of college in 2022. This figure is up from 3.8 percent of women in 1940. A significant increase can also be seen in males, with 36.2 percent of the U.S. male population having completed four years or more of college in 2022, up from 5.5 percent in 1940.

4- and 2-year colleges

In the United States, college students are able to choose between attending a 2-year postsecondary program and a 4-year postsecondary program. Generally, attending a 2-year program results in an Associate’s Degree, and 4-year programs result in a Bachelor’s Degree.

Many 2-year programs are designed so that attendees can transfer to a college or university offering a 4-year program upon completing their Associate’s. Completion of a 4-year program is the generally accepted standard for entry-level positions when looking for a job.

Earnings after college

Factors such as gender, degree achieved, and the level of postsecondary education can have an impact on employment and earnings later in life. Some Bachelor’s degrees continue to attract more male students than female, particularly in STEM fields, while liberal arts degrees such as education, languages and literatures, and communication tend to see higher female attendance.

All of these factors have an impact on earnings after college, and despite nearly the same rate of attendance within the American population between males and females, men with a Bachelor’s Degree continue to have higher weekly earnings on average than their female counterparts.

In 2021, about 37.7 percent of the U.S. population who were aged 25 and above had graduated from college or another higher education institution, a slight decline from 37.9 the previous year. However, this is a significant increase from 1960, when only 7.7 percent of the U.S. population had graduated from college.

Demographics

Educational attainment varies by gender, location, race, and age throughout the United States. Asian-American and Pacific Islanders had the highest level of education, on average, while Massachusetts and the District of Colombia are areas home to the highest rates of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. However, education levels are correlated with wealth. While public education is free up until the 12th grade, the cost of university is out of reach for many Americans, making social mobility increasingly difficult.

Earnings

White Americans with a professional degree earned the most money on average, compared to other educational levels and races. However, regardless of educational attainment, males typically earned far more on average compared to females. Despite the decreasing wage gap over the years in the country, it remains an issue to this day. Not only is there a large wage gap between males and females, but there is also a large income gap linked to race as well.

Employment income (in 2019 and 2020) by detailed major field of study and highest certificate, diploma or degree, including work activity (full time full year, part time full year, or part year).

In the academic year of 2020/21, about 860,760 male and 1.2 million female students earned a Bachelor's degree in the United States. By the academic year of 2031/32, the number of male Bachelor's degree recipients is expected to reach 975,020.

Bachelor’s degrees in the United States

American students typically earn a Bachelor’s degree for an undergraduate course of study and it is normally completed in four years. Depending on the major, students receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or another type of certificate.

In 2021, about 1.17 million white students earned a Bachelor's degree, followed by 324,848 Hispanic students.

Bachelor's degrees and earnings

When looking at the mean income of Bachelor’s degree holders in 2021, there are marked differences between the female and male Bachelor’s degree holders. Men with a Bachelor’s degree earned about 107,315 U.S. dollars per year, compared to women, who earned 77,099 U.S. dollars per year. In addition, salaries tended to increase the more educated a person was.

These data are based on data collected as part of the national data collection operation on the professional integration of graduates of the University Diploma in Technology (DUT). 2 new indicators were added for the 2020 session: Employment rate: share of employed graduates among all active (employment or research) or inactive graduates Rate of paid employment in France: share of graduates in paid employment in France among all active (employment or research) or inactive graduates This investigation was conducted in December 2022, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among DUT graduates of the 2020 session; in December 2021, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among the DUT graduates of the 2019 session; in December 2019, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among the DUT graduates of the 2017 session; in December 2018, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among the DUT graduates of the 2016 session; in December 2017, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among DUT graduates of the 2015 session; in December 2016, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among the DUT graduates of the 2014 session; in December 2015, 18 and 30 months after graduation, among DUT graduates of the 2013 session. The insertion rate is defined as the percentage of graduates in any job out of all graduates in the labour market. It is calculated on graduates of French nationality, from initial training, who entered the labour market immediately and permanently after graduation in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 or 2020. The information collected on the salary relates to the net salary, including bonuses. The wages displayed correspond to the median values on full-time jobs. On the basis of these values, an annual gross salary is estimated, on the basis of a flat rate of change from net to gross of 1.3 (average data on private sector salaries). The survey was carried out by universities under a charter whose provisions aim to ensure comparability of results between institutions. The overall coordination and operation of the survey is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Sources of additional data: % of graduate scholarship holders: observed data on the population of the labour market integration survey. Regional unemployment rate: INSEE - 4th quarter 2015 for the 2013 session, INSEE - 1st quarter 2017 for the 2014, 4th quarter 2017 for the 2015, 4th quarter 2018 for the 2016, 4th quarter 2019 for the 2017, 4th quarter 2021 for the 2019, 4th quarter 2022 for the 2020 session. Regional median monthly net salary: INSEE DADS 2013 for the session 2013, INSEE DADS 2014 for the session 2014, INSEE DADS 2015 for the session 2015, INSEE DADS 2016 for the session 2016, INSEE DADS 2017 for the session 2017, INSEE DADS 2019 for the session 2019, INSEE DADS 2020 for the session 2020 for 25-29 year olds employed full time in the socio-professional categories "Frames and higher intellectual professions" and "Intermediate professions. Legend: nd = not available (no respondents) ns = not significant (number of respondents less than 30).

Over the past 20 years, the share of the Australian population that holds a degree at a bachelor level or above has increased by more than six times, reaching 50.8 percent in 2022. Since May of 2023, however, that number has dropped to only 32 percent. In Australia, the tertiary education sector comprises both public and private institutions. The student body is comprised of both domestic and international students. University graduate employment Domestic students make up most of the graduates within Australia. The vast majority of graduates in 2022 found full-time employment after studying, with the fields of medicine, pharmacy and rehabilitation having the highest rates of employment post graduation. Dentistry graduates earned the highest median full-time salary of recent university graduates in the country. International study landscape International students are a rapidly growing segment of Australia’s tertiary education sector. The export income from international student activities amounted to just under 36.5 billion Australian dollars in 2023. Chinese students accounted for the largest share of international student enrollments in the same period. Students completing their studies at Australian universities are attracted to the prestige of obtaining a degree at some of the best universities in the world. Moreover, graduates have the opportunity to enter the Australian labor market and to apply for a permanent visa in the country.

In the academic year 2023/24, there were 331,602 international students from India studying in the United States. International students The majority of international students studying in the United States are originally from India and China, totaling 331,602 students and 277,398 students respectively in the 2023/24 school year. In 2022/23, there were 467,027 international graduate students , which accounted for over one third of the international students in the country. Typically, engineering and math & computer science programs were among the most common fields of study for these students. The United States is home to many world-renowned schools, most notably, the Ivy League Colleges which provide education that is sought after by both foreign and local students. International students and college Foreign students in the United States pay some of the highest fees in the United States, with an average of 24,914 U.S. dollars. American students attending a college in New England paid an average of 14,900 U.S. dollars for tuition alone and there were about 79,751 international students in Massachusetts . Among high-income families, U.S. students paid an average of 34,700 U.S. dollars for college, whereas the average for all U.S. families reached only 28,026 U.S. dollars. Typically, 40 percent of families paid for college tuition through parent income and savings, while 29 percent relied on grants and scholarships.