Your draft was already data-accurate — all four headline stats checked out against the verified build. I made light wording updates so it matches the post–P1–P5 article (CIP clarification, 3.95× precision, completion labels, data vintage).
What changed (3 bullets + sources line):
Unchanged (already correct): 40.4M, $78,207 / $44,130 completion bands, Fine Arts 1.6× vs CS ~0.4×, quote, URL, About EDsmart.
ABNewswire-ready body (paste this):
EDsmart released the first installment in its Future of Higher Education and Work research series: The ROI Divide, a data-driven report on how the economic value of college increasingly depends on program choice, completion, debt relative to pay, and labor-market demand—not whether a degree “works” on average.
Read the full report: https://www.edsmart.org/newsroom/future-higher-ed-roi-divide/
The report combines federal education, labor, and earnings data to explain why some bachelor’s pathways continue to generate strong returns while others struggle to keep pace with rising costs and shifting workforce demand. Figures reflect national program medians from public sources (half of reported programs fall above each median, half below); they are benchmarks for comparison, not guarantees about any single graduate’s offer.
Among the report’s key findings:
A roughly 4× typical pay spread (3.95× in Scorecard data) exists among published bachelor’s degree fields—for example, Computer Science (CIP 11.07) at $173,344 in typical pay one year after completion vs. $43,834 for Computational Science (CIP 30.30), a separate published field, among bachelor’s programs that report figures nationally.
About 40.4 million U.S. adults have attended college without earning a credential, underscoring that finishing often matters more than enrolling alone.
At bachelor’s-granting institutions, typical earnings 10 years after entry are $78,207 where six-year completion is 80% or higher, compared with $44,130 where completion is below 40%.
Debt-to-earnings ratios vary sharply by field family. In EDsmart’s seven-family Scorecard extract, Fine Arts program medians run about 1.6× median debt relative to one year of typical pay—roughly four times the ratio for Computer Science families (~0.4×) and higher than engineering, nursing, and business in the same build.
“The question isn’t simply whether college is worth it,” said Tyson Stevens, media contact for EDsmart. “Students and families need to compare specific programs, net price, completion rates, and typical outcomes. Two bachelor’s degrees at the same level can produce dramatically different financial results.”
The report also examines:
Data sources include the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (May 2026 program pull), Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau surveys, National Student Clearinghouse (April 2023 SCNC estimate), O*NET, and related public releases. Program-level tables were structured on EDsmart Data (https://www.edsmartdata.com/); the report explains how to use those figures when evaluating a campus shortlist.
Full report: https://www.edsmart.org/newsroom/future-higher-ed-roi-divide/
About EDsmart
EDsmart provides independent, data-driven college rankings, education research, and student resources designed to help students and families make informed decisions about higher education. Using federal datasets and public research, EDsmart evaluates affordability, outcomes, completion, and career readiness to identify high-value educational pathways.
Learn more at https://www.edsmart.org/
Media ContactCompany Name: EDsmart LLCContact Person: Tyson StevensEmail: Send EmailCity: HerrimanState: UTCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.edsmart.org/
