The falling value of a university degree

By Gonzalo Viña, Public Policy Reporter

Not that millennials need another reminder of how tough life is going to be for them, but research from the Bank of England shows that the value of having a degree has fallen substantially over the last two decades.

In 1995, when the last cohorts of Generation X were graduating, a degree would have boosted earnings on average by 45 per cent relative to having no qualifications at all, the bank said. The degree premium last year had slipped to 35 per cent.

Contrary to what some say, that’s one hell of fall.