LingVo.club
Level
College degrees still pay off after student loan payments — Level A1 — a woman in a cap and gown holding a diploma

College degrees still pay off after student loan paymentsCEFR A1

25 Nov 2025

Adapted from Neil Schoenherr-WUSTL, Futurity CC BY 4.0

Photo by Sebastian Latorre, Unsplash

Level A1 – Beginner
2 min
87 words
  • Researchers used financial and education records.
  • They compared people who finished college and those who did not.
  • Degree holders earn about $8,000 more per year.
  • Without loan payments, the earnings premium is $10,400 per year.
  • Associate degree holders pay about 9% of extra earnings in loans.
  • Bachelor's degree holders pay about 19% of extra earnings in loans.
  • Master's degree holders pay about 57% of extra earnings in loans.
  • Undergraduate certificate completers have about $5,000 higher debt-adjusted earnings.
  • Researchers say higher education is a worthwhile financial investment.

Difficult words

  • degreeA type of education certification.
    degrees
  • earnTo get money for work.
  • graduateA person who finishes college.
    Graduates
  • importantVery necessary or valuable.
  • policiesRules or plans made by groups.

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Why do you think college is important?
  • What would you like to study in college?
  • How does money affect your education choices?

Related articles

Heat and Young Children’s Development — Level A1
9 Dec 2025

Heat and Young Children’s Development

New research links high temperatures to slower early childhood development. The study compared child development records with local monthly temperatures and found higher heat is associated with lower literacy and numeracy milestone attainment.

Khaled Khella shows hidden struggles — Level A1
10 Jul 2025

Khaled Khella shows hidden struggles

Khaled Khella is an independent Egyptian filmmaker whose short films examine desire, power and everyday survival. He gained international attention with festival-screened shorts and the film "Egyptian Misery" and continues to address urgent social issues.