2016-2017 College Track Annual Report 2016-17 CT Annual Report Digital Pages | Page 12

Alumni
Outcomes
We believe that a college degree unlocks the potential of every
student and leads to a successful career with financial security.
To that end, we survey our graduates to gain more insight into
this assumption and to discover which support services correlate
with more successful career outcomes. We measure our students’
upward social mobility—the ability to earn more money than
their parents—because equity matters, both in education and in
the working world.
3/4
of our college
graduates have
less than $30,000
in loans
4 STEPS
TO INCREASE
THE VALUE
OF A COLLEGE
DEGREE
After examining our graduates’ outcomes, we
identified four concrete steps students can take to
increase the value of their college degree. Overall,
our results highlight the importance of addressing
the academic, financial, and social-emotional pressure
that can prevent students from graduating.
12
STEP
1
LOANS
Borrow less
than $30,000
There is a dollar threshold
where loan debt creates too
much financial pressure. Grad-
uates who borrow more than
$30,000 default and defer at
considerably higher rates.