Editing Education in the United States (section)

==Higher education==
{{Main|Higher education in the United States}}
[[File:NYIT61jeh.JPG|thumb|A building on the campus of the [[New York Institute of Technology]], founded in 1955 in [[Manhattan]]]]
[[File:ChicagoPileTeam.png|thumb|The [[University of Chicago]] team that worked on the production of the world's first man-made, self-sustaining [[nuclear reactor]], including [[Enrico Fermi]] in the front row and [[Leó Szilárd]] in the second
|alt=A group of people in suits standing in three rows on the steps in front of a stone building.]]
[[File:University of Miami Otto G. Richter Library.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Miami]], founded in 1925 in [[Coral Gables, Florida]]]]
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:10px"
|+[[Educational attainment in the United States]], age 25 and over (2018)<ref name="Census-2019"/>
! Education
! Percentage
|-
|High school graduate
|align="right"|89.8%
|-
|Some college
|align="right"|61.20%
|-
|Associate degree
|align="right"|45.16%
|-
|Bachelor's degree
|align="right"|34.9%
|-
|Master's degree
|align="right"|13.05%
|-
|Doctorate or professional degree
|align="right"|3.5%
|}

[[Higher education in the United States]] is an optional final stage of [[formal learning]] following [[secondary education]], often at one of the 4,495 colleges or [[university|universities]] and junior colleges in the country.<ref>Nat'l Ctr. for Educ. Statistics, [http://howtopickagreatcollege.com/DESStats2010.pdf Degree-Granting Institutions and Branches, by Type and Control of Institution and State of Jurisdiction, 2009–10] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302164643/http://howtopickagreatcollege.com/DESStats2010.pdf|date=March 2, 2012}} (September 2010). Retrieved December 1, 2011</ref> In 2008, 36% of enrolled students graduated from college in four years. 57% completed their undergraduate requirements in six years, at the same college they first enrolled in.<ref name="wp0910222">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102103664.html|title=The Color of Money:Getting through college these days almost requires a degree in thrift|author=Michelle Singletary|date=October 22, 2009|newspaper=Washington Post|pages=20A}}</ref> The U.S. ranks 10th among industrial countries for percentage of adults with college degrees.<ref name="wp100606" /> Over the past 40 years the gap in graduation rates for wealthy students and low-income students has widened significantly. 77% of the wealthiest [[quartile]] of students obtained undergraduate degrees by age 24 in 2013, up from 40% in 1970. 9% of the least affluent quartile obtained degrees by the same age in 2013, up from 6% in 1970.<ref>{{cite news |first=Melissa |last=Korn |date=February 3, 2015 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-gap-in-college-graduation-rates-for-rich-and-poor-study-finds-1422997677 |title=Big Gap in College Graduation Rates for Rich and Poor, Study Finds |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |access-date=February 5, 2015 }}</ref>

There are over 7,000 post-secondary institutions in the United States offering a diverse number of programs catered to students with different aptitudes, skills, and educational needs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/xls/tabn105.50.xls
|title=Number of educational institutions, by level and control of Institution|publisher=U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics|date=2019|access-date=27 August 2019|pages=1}}</ref> Compared with the higher education systems of other countries, post-secondary education in the United States is largely deregulated, giving students a variety of choices. Common [[College admissions in the United States|admission]] requirements to gain entry to any American university requires a meeting a certain age threshold, high school transcript documenting grades, coursework, and rigor of core high school subject areas as well as performance in AP and IB courses, class ranking, ACT or [[SAT]] scores, extracurricular activities, an admissions essay, and letters of recommendation from teachers and guidance counselors. Other admissions criteria may include an interview, personal background, [[legacy preferences]] (family members having attended the school), ability to pay tuition, potential to donate money to the school [[development case]], evaluation of student character (based on essays or interviews), and general discretion by the admissions office. While universities will rarely list that they require a certain standardized test score, class ranking, or GPA for admission, each university usually has a rough threshold below which admission is unlikely.

===Universities and colleges===
[[File:1904 World's Fair Administration Building (Brookings Hall, Washington University) seen from the southeast with the Italian Pavilion in the foreground.jpg|thumb|[[Brookings Hall]] at [[Washington University in St. Louis]], established in 1853]]
The traditional path to American higher education is typically through a college or university, the most prestigious forms of higher education in the United States. Universities in the United States are institutions that issue bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctorate degrees; colleges often award solely bachelor's degrees. Some universities offer programs at all degree levels from the associate to the doctorate and are distinguished from community and junior colleges where the highest degree offered is the associate degree or a diploma. Though there is no prescribed definition of a university or college in the United States, universities are generally research-oriented institutions offering undergraduate, graduate, and [[professional degree|professional]] programs.

American universities come in a variety of forms that serve different educational needs. Some [[Local government in the United States|counties and cities]] have established and funded four-year institutions. Some of these institutions, such as the [[City University of New York]], are still operated by local governments. Others such as the [[University of Louisville]] and [[Wichita State University]] are now operated as state universities. Four-year institutions may be [[Public university|public]] or [[Private university|private]] colleges or universities. Private institutions are privately funded and there is a wide variety in size, focus, and operation. Some private institutions are large [[Research university|research universities]], while others are small [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts colleges]] that concentrate on undergraduate education. Some private universities are [[nonsectarian]] and [[Secularity|secular]], while others are religiously affiliated.

====Rankings====
{{Further|QS World University Rankings|Times Higher Education World University Rankings|U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking}}
[[File:Top Engineering Colleges in North America.webp|thumb|Top Engineering Colleges in North America]]
Among the United States' most prominent and world-renowned institutions are large research universities that are ranked in such annual publications, including the ''[[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]]'', ''[[QS World University Rankings]]'', ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', ''[[Washington Monthly]]'', ''[[Academic Ranking of World Universities|ARWU]]'', by test preparation services such as ''[[The Princeton Review]]'' or by another university such as the Top American Research Universities ranked by The Center at the [[University of Florida]].<ref name="thecenter">{{cite web|url=http://thecenter.ufl.edu/research.html|title=The Top American Research Universities|access-date=November 7, 2006|publisher=The Center (University of Florida)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031142155/http://thecenter.ufl.edu/research.html|archive-date=October 31, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref> <!--<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/02/43e1c030461a5|title=Criticism unlikely to tarnish image}}</ref> This link is no longer working. --> These rankings are based on factors such as [[brand recognition]], number of Nobel Prize winners, [[College admissions in the United States#How colleges evaluate applicants|selectivity in admissions]], generosity of alumni donors, and volume and quality of faculty research.

Among the elite top forty [[Rankings of universities in the United States|domestically]] and internationally ranked institutions identified by the QS 2025 rankings include six of the eight [[Ivy League]] schools; private universities [[Stanford University|Stanford]], [[The University of Chicago]], and [[Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins]]; 1 of the 10 schools in the [[University of California system]] ([[UC Berkeley]]); and the research intensive schools [[Caltech]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?page=2&sort_by=rank&order_by=asc|title=QS World University Rankings - 2025|publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited|access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref>
[[File:A_college_professor_teaching_in_a_university_classroom_full_of_students_in_Tennessee,_United_States_10.jpg|thumb|A college professor teaching in a university classroom full of students]]
Other types of universities in the United States include [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts schools]] ([[Reed College]], [[Swarthmore College]], [[Barnard College]]), religiously affiliated and denomination universities ([[DePaul University]], [[Brigham Young University]], [[Yeshiva University]]), [[United States service academies|military]] ([[United States Military Academy]], [[United States Merchant Marine Academy]], [[United States Naval Academy]]), art and design schools ([[Berklee College of Music]], [[Juilliard School]], [[Fashion Institute of Technology]], [[Parsons School of Design]], [[Rhode Island School of Design]]), [[Historically black colleges and universities]] ([[Morehouse College]], [[Howard University]], [[Kentucky State University]]), and [[For-profit higher education in the United States|for-profit universities]] ([[University of Phoenix]], [[Apollo Education Group#Western International University (closed, 2019)|Western International University]], [[Liberty University]]).<ref>{{cite report |title=A Review of the U.S. Higher Education System: Its Structure, Funding, Quality and the Future |publisher=United States Census Bureau |year=2014 |first=Amanda |last=Anthony |s2cid=54171217 |page=3}}</ref> While most private institutions are non-profit, a growing number in the past decade have been established as for-profit. The American university curriculum varies widely depending on the program and institution. Typically, an undergraduate student will be able to select an [[Academic major|academic "major" or concentration]], which comprises the core main or special subjects, and students may change their major one or more times.

====Graduate degrees====
Some students, typically those with a bachelor's degree, may choose to continue on to [[Postgraduate education|graduate]] or [[Vocational university|professional school]], which are graduate and professional institutions typically attached to a university. Graduate degrees may be either [[master's degree]]s (e.g., [[Master of Arts|M.A.]], [[Master of Science|M.S.]], [[Master of Social Work|M.S.W.]]), [[professional degree]]s (e.g. [[Master of Business Administration|M.B.A.]], [[Juris Doctor|J.D.]], [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]]) or [[Doctorate|doctorate degrees]] (e.g. [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]]). Programs range from full-time, evening and executive which allows for flexibility with students' schedules.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scheller.gatech.edu/|title=Graduate School Program Options: MBA|publisher=Scheller College of Business|access-date=June 25, 2015}}</ref> [[Academy|Academia]]-focused graduate school typically includes some combination of coursework and research (often requiring a [[thesis]] or [[dissertation]] to be written), while professional graduate-level schools grants a [[Professional degree|first professional degree]]. These include [[Medical school in the United States|medical]], [[Law school in the United States|law]], [[List of business schools in the United States|business]], [[School of education|education]], [[Seminary|divinity]], [[Art school|art]], [[Journalism school|journalism]], [[Council on Social Work Education|social work]], [[Architecture school in the United States|architecture]], and [[Engineering education#United States|engineering]] schools.

===Vocational===
{{Main|Vocational education in the United States}}
[[Community colleges in the United States|Community]] and [[junior college]]s in the United States are public comprehensive institutions that offer a wide range of educational services that generally lasts two years. Community colleges are generally publicly funded (usually by local cities or counties) and offer career certifications and part-time programs. Though it is cheaper in terms of tuition, less competitive to get into, and not as prestigious as going to a four-year university, they form another post-secondary option for students seeking to enter the realm of American higher education. Community and junior colleges generally emphasize practical career-oriented education that is focused on a vocational curriculum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/postsec-inst.doc|title=Organization of U.S. Education - Tertiary Institutions|access-date=27 August 2019|pages=2}}</ref> Though some community and junior colleges offer accredited bachelor's degree programs, community and junior colleges typically offer a college diploma or an associate degree such as an [[Associate of arts|A.A.]], A.S., or a [[Professional certification|vocational certificate]], although some community colleges offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees. Community and junior colleges also offer trade school certifications for [[skilled trade]]s and [[Technician|technical]] careers. Students can also earn credits at a community or junior college and [[transfer admissions in the United States|transfer]] them to a four-year university afterward. Many community colleges have relationships with four-year state universities and colleges or even private universities that enable some community college students to [[Transfer student|transfer]] to these universities to pursue a bachelor's degree after the completion of a two-year program at the community college.

===Cost===
{{see also|College tuition in the United States}}
[[File:US education expenditure as share of GDP, OWID.svg|thumb|U.S. education expenditure as share of [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] from 1950 to 2015<ref>{{cite web|title=US education expenditure as share of GDP|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/us-education-expenditure-as-share-of-gdp-public-and-private-institutions|website=Our World in Data|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>]]
[[File:College Tuition State Funding.svg|thumb|A study comparing college revenue per student by tuition and state funding in 2008 dollars<ref name="DeltaCost">{{cite web|url=http://www.deltacostproject.org/resources/pdf/Trends-in-College-Spending-98-08.pdf|title=Trends in College Spending 1998–2008|access-date=September 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808055659/http://www.deltacostproject.org/resources/pdf/Trends-in-College-Spending-98-08.pdf|archive-date=August 8, 2013}}</ref>]]
[[File:College tuition cpi.jpg|thumb|The cost of U.S. college education relative to the [[consumer price index]]]]
A few charity institutions cover all of the students' tuition, although scholarships (both merit-based and need-based) are widely available. Generally, private universities charge much higher tuition than their public counterparts, which rely on state funds to make up the difference.

Annual undergraduate tuition varies widely from state to state, and many additional fees apply. In 2009, the average annual tuition at a public university for residents of the state was $7,020.<ref name="wp0910222" /> Tuition for public school students from outside the state is generally comparable to private school prices, although students can often qualify for state residency after their first year. Private schools are typically much higher, although prices vary widely from "no-frills" private schools to highly specialized technical institutes. Depending upon the type of school and program, annual graduate program tuition can vary from $15,000 to as high as $50,000. Note that these prices do not include living expenses (rent, room/board, etc.) or additional fees that schools add on such as "activities fees" or [[health insurance]]. These fees, especially room and board, can range from $6,000 to $12,000 per academic year (assuming a single student without children).<ref name="collegeboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.collegeboard.com/press/article/0,3183,29541,00.html|title=Tuition Levels Rise but Many Students Pay Significantly Less than Published Rates|publisher=Collegeboard.com|access-date=September 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060603184127/http://www.collegeboard.com/press/article/0%2C3183%2C29541%2C00.html|archive-date=June 3, 2006}}</ref>

The mean annual total cost, including all costs associated with a full-time post-secondary schooling, such as tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, as reported by [https://collegeboard.com collegeboard.com] for 2010:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press.collegeboard.org/college-pricing-student-aid|title=College Pricing and Student Aid – Pressroom|publisher=Press.collegeboard.org|date=April 9, 2013|access-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref>
* Public university (4 years): $27,967 (per year)
* Private university (4 years): $40,476 (per year)

Total, four-year schooling:
* Public university: $111,868
* Private university: $161,904

College costs are rising at the same time that state appropriations for aid are shrinking. This has led to debate over funding at both the state and local levels. From 2002 to 2004 alone, tuition rates at public schools increased by over 14%, largely due to dwindling state funding. An increase of 6% occurred over the same period for private schools.<ref name="collegeboard" /> Between 1982 and 2007, college tuition and fees rose three times as fast as median family income, in constant dollars.<ref name="bfp081207">{{cite book|author=Broder, David S. (columnist)|title=College affordability about future|publisher=Burlington Free Press (and other column subscribers)|date=December 7, 2008}}</ref>

From the U.S. Census Bureau, the median salary of an individual who has only a high school diploma is $27,967; the median salary of an individual who has a bachelor's degree is $47,345.<ref name="US Census Bureau">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/perinc/new03_019.htm|title=The U.S. Census Bureau (2010)|access-date=April 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316075844/http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/perinc/new03_019.htm|archive-date=March 16, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Certain degrees, such as in engineering, typically result in salaries far exceeding high school graduates, whereas degrees in teaching and social work fall below.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market/index.html|title=The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates|publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of New York}}</ref>

The debt of the average college graduate for student loans in 2010 was $23,200.<ref>{{cite web|last=Crowe|first=Aaron|url=http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/09/21/free-things-people-pay-for-too-often/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%7C171948|title=Ten things that aren't free – but should be (and how to get them for free anyway) – DailyFinance|publisher=Walletpop.com|access-date=September 21, 2013|archive-date=July 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726234324/http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/09/21/free-things-people-pay-for-too-often/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk3%7C171948|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A 2010 study indicates that the [[return on investment]] for graduating from the top 1,000 colleges exceeds 4% over a high school degree.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.payscale.com/education/compare-college-costs-and-ROI|title=College ROI 2013 Methodology|publisher=Payscale.com|access-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref>

====Student loan debt====
In 2018, [[Student loans in the United States|student loan debt]] topped $1.5 trillion. More than 40 million people hold college debt, which is largely owned by the U.S. government and serviced by private, for-profit companies such as [[Navient]]. Student loan debt has reached levels that have affected US society, reducing opportunities for millions of people following college.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackfriedman/2018/06/13/student-loan-debt-statistics-2018/|title=Student Loan Debt Statistics in 2018: A$1.5 Trillion Crisis|first=Zack|last=Friedman|website=Forbes|date=July 16, 2023 }}</ref>

===Academic labor and adjunctification===
According to ''[[Uni in the USA]]'', "One of the reasons American universities have thrived is due to their remarkable management of financial resources."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uniintheusa.com/how-why/paying-for-us-uni/609/can-i-afford-it|title=Student Loans For Study Abroad &#124; Scholarship to Study in USA|publisher=University in the USA|access-date=September 21, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923091612/http://www.uniintheusa.com/how-why/paying-for-us-uni/609/can-i-afford-it|archive-date=September 23, 2013}}</ref> To combat costs colleges have hired adjunct professors to teach. In 2008, these teachers cost about $1,800 per 3-credit class as opposed to $8,000 per class for a tenured professor. Two-thirds of college instructors were adjuncts. There are differences of opinion on whether these adjuncts teach better or worse than regular professors. There is a suspicion that student evaluation of adjuncts, along with their subsequent continued employment, can lead to [[grade inflation]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Clark, Kim|title=Does it Matter That Your Professor Is Part Time?|publisher=U.S. News & World Report|date=November 17–24, 2008}}</ref>

===Credential inflation===
Economics professor Alan Zagier blames [[Educational inflation|credential inflation]] for the admission of so many unqualified students into college. He reports that the number of new jobs requiring college degrees is [[Higher education bubble in the United States|less than the number of college graduates]].<ref name="wp100606" /> He states that the more money that a state spends on higher education, the slower the economy grows, the opposite of long-held notions.<ref name="wp100606" /> Other studies have shown that the level of cognitive achievement attained by students in a country (as measured by academic testing) is closely correlated with the country's economic growth, but that "increasing the average number of years of schooling attained by the labor force boosts the economy only when increased levels of school attainment also boost cognitive skills. In other words, it is not enough simply to spend more time in school; something has to be learned there."<ref>Eric A. Hanushek, Ludger Woessmann, Eliot A. Jamison and Dean T. Jamison, [http://educationnext.org/education-and-economic-growth/ "Education and Economic Growth: It's not just going to school, but learning something while there that matters"], ''Education Next'', Spring 2008 / Vol. 8, No. 2</ref>