In a report released today, California Competes, a nonpartisan policy group taking on California's education and workforce challenges, urges a more nuanced and holistic perspective for appraising the value of college completion. Dr. Su Jin Jez, CEO of California Competes, is a CAEL board member and the recipient of the 2021 Pamela Tate Rise Award, presented at CAEL’s annual conference.Degrees of Value: A Multidimensional View of College ROI Through the Voices of Comebackers asserts there are several variables adjacent to the widely recognized economic benefits and financial costs of attending college. At the same time, the report affirms that strong links between learning and work and the recognition of prior learning remain critical student success factors.
The report is based on interviews with 27 California Comebackers, adult learners who reenrolled after interrupting their pursuit of a credential. Its findings build on previous responses gathered in 2023 and 2025 as part of California Competes’ Degrees of Value series.
| Read more: | Comebackers and other CAEL connections to California Competes |
The report offers an ROI calculation to capture a wider view of how adult learners’ experiences affect the net value of college. The calculator accounts for qualitative aspects of college attendance, including individual and societal benefits, and the opportunity costs of doing so.
Benefits that transcend wage gains include the acquisition of transferable, workforce-prized competencies, enhanced self-confidence, and intergenerational socioeconomic mobility, according to the report.
On the other hand, opportunity and personal costs such as reduced work hours, childcare costs, and limited family time add to the burdens of tuition and fees.
These diverse costs share a common mitigator: shortened time to completion. Accordingly, among the report’s recommendations is the offering of credit for prior learning. The counsel comes with a caveat: CPL varies in policy and practice in California. The report argues that statewide standards would support credit transferability while improving the transparency and equity in the processes that govern it.
| Read more: | CAEL's work with state systems to support national CPL policy framework |
While interviewees pointed to a diverse set of factors affecting college ROI, they also placed a singular importance on robust links between college and career pathways. About half of them benefited from increased wages in the three years following their degree completion. Those who had, the report indicated, were more likely to have been motivated to enroll by a clear-cut career goal.
The report recommends proactive career advice to help guide learners’ choice of work-relevant programs. It also calls for integrating durable skills into curricula and measuring their development to help students market their workforce readiness.
The report offers several other recommendations based on a better understanding of how Comebackers perceive the value of college, all of which will resonate with adult learning practitioners. They include improved labor market data, wraparound support, flexibility, and experiential learning opportunities.
Degrees of Value: A Multidimensional View of College ROI Through the Voices of Comebackers is available at californiacompetes.org.