Cost
What will it really cost?
Value begins with affordability and the debt burden a student may carry after enrollment.
Students & families
Make higher education value easier to see.
Durable Value Index helps families compare U.S. colleges and universities beyond name recognition by focusing on affordability, completion, outcomes, and career resilience.
Finish
Do students complete?
A postsecondary choice is stronger when completion outcomes are part of the conversation.
Return
What happens after graduation?
Economic return helps families connect today’s price with tomorrow’s opportunity.
Resilience
Will the pathway hold up?
Career resilience adds a future-of-work lens without pretending any degree is future-proof.
For decision moments
Useful before applications become commitments.
The index is designed to support early list-building, application planning, affordability conversations, and final offer comparison. It is decision support, not a guarantee of individual outcomes.
Why families need it.
Ask
Is the price justified?
Affordability and debt shape the risk of the decision.
Ask
Is completion likely?
Completion reliability turns value from promise into probability.
Ask
Are outcomes credible?
Return provides a clearer way to think about long-term payoff.
Ask
Is the path resilient?
Career resilience helps families consider how work is changing.