SANTA BARBARA — On Jan. 28, 2020, Optimal (formerly the SR Education Group) released “GradReports,” comparing the salaries of over 4.6 million college graduates to determine Salary Scores for more than 885 college degrees. Scores were then used to rank the best colleges in the U.S. for 2021 at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels. Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that it ranked No. 11 in the category of “Best Associate Degrees.”
Providing availability to Salary Scores comes at a convenient time for prospective students contemplating their options, since higher education has been radically altered by COVID-19. The economic fallout from the pandemic has magnified the need for the cost-benefit analysis of pursuing a college degree, especially under the shadow of an already looming student debt crisis.
“This past year has created an atmosphere of enormous financial strain and uncertainty,” said Optimal CEO Sung Rhee, “and now more than ever, students and their families are in need of data that demonstrates earnings outcomes, giving them the ability to plan for the future and also feel confident in their decisions.”
GradReports’ Salary Score is based on median alumni earnings in the year after graduating, using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. The score compares the median alumni salary for a specific program at one school to the median alumni salary for the same program at other schools, allowing prospective students to see which schools offer top earnings for that program. Each school then receives an overall Salary Score by degree level to illustrate colleges that prepare students for a high paying career regardless of major. This overall score is based on how well the school performs across all the programs it offers, weighted by student enrollment in each program.
An evaluation of alumni salaries at the associate degree level at nearly 700 community colleges, technical colleges, and other institutions, revealed that 87 percent of the top 100 schools are public colleges. California graduates performed especially well, with eight of the top 25 colleges located in California.
SBCC offers over 100 associate degrees in subject areas ranging in everything from Accounting to Vocational Nursing.
A recent press release from Optimal considers GradReport “a predictor of earning potential and ROI [return on investment] for one of the most crucial investments a student will ever make.”
Visit GradReports “Best Associate Degrees” website for more information.
