The Return to A Bachelor’s Degree from UW–Madison

Junjie Guo, Kim Ruhl and Ananth Seshadri

Executive Summary:

The first white paper in the series estimates the value of a UW–Madison bachelor’s degree. Estimates using U.S. Census Bureau data reveal substantial gains from a UW–Madison bachelor’s degree. The median lifetime return to a bachelor’s degree from UW–Madison is about $760,000 for Wisconsin residents relative to a high school diploma. And this calculation only accounts for the earnings benefit associated with graduating from UW–Madison.