Cicero Institute Launches New Interactive College Degree ROI Tool

Austin, TX, Feb. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a newly released exclusive web tool, the Cicero Institute offers one-click access to shocking data highlighting the stark differences in lifetime earnings potential between various degrees from colleges and universities across the nation.

To access the tool, simply click this link and then select your state from the interactive U.S. map.
As college-bound students and their families navigate the difficult decisions of higher education, the Cicero Institute is shining a light on a critical but often overlooked question: Which college programs provide real value, and which leave students financially worse off? This interactive tool utilizes research—originally conducted by Preston Cooper and FREOPP—that can help answer those questions.
“The data is clear: not all degrees are created equal,” said Cicero Institute Education Policy Director Michael Brickman. “Students deserve to know which programs will lead to good careers and which will leave them deep in debt with little to show for it—and now, at the click of a button, they can.”

Cicero’s Sr. Director of Communications Stefani Buhajla added, “Many families like mine have kids who are at a critical juncture and trying to figure out which, or if, college is right for them. The ability to easily access data to help in that decision-making process is invaluable.”
With one in three programs leaving students worse off financially, the Institute is calling on policymakers to follow this example of transparency and accountability in higher education funding.
“Transparency policies and funding reforms can ensure that taxpayer dollars support programs that deliver real value,” said Brickman

The Cicero Institute has developed a model transparency policy for innovative state leaders to help ensure students have access to earnings and employment data before committing to a degree program. The Institute is also advocating for outcomes-based funding, similar to the Texas State Technical Colleges model, which directly ties public funding to measurable student success.

This release can be viewed on the Cicero Institute website here.

About the Cicero Institute:
The Cicero Institute is a nonpartisan public policy organization that develops and advocates for bold policies at the state level to restore liberty, accountability, and transparency in American governance.

Stefani Buhajla, Sr. Director of Communications
The Cicero Institute
386-681-7625
media@ciceroinstitute.org