A Penn degree is worth the investment, according to a recent study.
A ranking released earlier this month placed Penn 10th in the country in terms of return on investment, which Bloomberg Businessweek and PayScale — an agency that analyzes employment data — determined by analyzing tuition and salary data over 30 years.
Penn was one among five Ivy League schools in the top 15, in which engineering-focused schools were dominant.
According to director of Career Services Patricia Rose, the annual Businessweek and PayScale ranking typically “rewards engineering schools and Ivy League schools.”
Thus, Rose said, the ranking does not present the whole story for Penn undergraduates.
The ranking takes into account only students who do not pursue graduate degrees. At Penn, 64 percent of graduates enter a post-graduate program within five years of graduation.
Rose said the ranking therefore favors schools like Penn, since business and engineering schools fare well under this calculus, distorting the larger picture.
College freshman Nicole Grabowski agreed that this sort of ranking leaves something to be desired.
“I think no matter what college you go to, you have to make the best of your situation,” Grabowski said. “I think it really matters on the students themselves, and I don’t think a survey can really capture that.”
According to College freshman Chris Yamamoto, eventual salary is an interesting figure to take note of. Yamamoto said student loans are a factor that ought to be taken into consideration in analyzing return on investment over the years.
Though the Businessweek and PayScale ranking takes average financial aid grants into account, it does not analyze loans.
“While some people can get their education paid back and feel like they have a good return on their investments, other people are paying it off over a long time,” Yamamoto said.
Ultimately, unless graduate degrees were factored into the calculations, Rose said the ranking does not offer much insight.
“It’s not the last word on the value of a Penn degree,” Rose said.
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