BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) A new law that took effect July 1 is changing how some college degree programs are judged, requiring them to show that most graduates earn at least as much as a typical high school graduate.
Michael Itzkowitz, founder and president of the HEA Group, a higher education research organization, said the policy represents a major shift for colleges and universities.
“It’s one of the biggest changes that we’ve seen in higher education within the past few decades,” Itzkowitz said.
In California, Itzkowitz said the law would require most program alumni to earn at least $36,000 a year, which he described as roughly $18 an hour.
New law requires college programs to prove grads out-earn typical high school workers (KBAK/KBFX)
“If a student can’t earn more than this minimal amount which is about eighteen dollars an hour. It’s harder to think that they are going to be able to engage in civic discourse or attend community meetings, especially if they aren’t making ends meet,” Itzkowitz said.
Itzkowitz said the law is expected to affect only a small share of degree programs nationwide, estimating it would apply to about 2% of associate and bachelor’s degree programs.
“In California, specifically, just to give you a sense, no teacher education programs fail; not many liberal arts programs fail to have their graduates earn above this middle amount,” he said.
Among students and faculty in Bakersfield area colleges, some raised concerns that the earnings benchmark could steer students away from certain fields.
“I think it would be because I wouldn’t be able to do much after graduating. Then I would probably have to stick to something that’s not really my passion,” said Lupita Perez, a CSUB psychology major.
New law requires college programs to prove grads out-earn typical high school workers (KBAK/KBFX)
Amanda Studebaker, a sociology professor at CSUB, said the law could have a chilling effect on students’ choices.
“It could discourage them from going after the things they want to, so I think it’s problematic,” Studebaker said.
Itzkowitz also pointed to what he described as positive data tied to the law in California, saying it can highlight programs where graduates see strong earnings.
New law requires college programs to prove grads out-earn typical high school workers (KBAK/KBFX)
“We can also identify almost five hundred college programs to where the majority of graduates earn at least fifty thousand dollars more,” he said.