Getting a four-year college degree is a privilege not everyone can afford it. If you have your four-bachelor degree from any college in the United States, you are among the 41 percent lucky persons of the US population. So What percentage of population has a 4-year college degree.
A four-college degree, which is also known as a bachelor’s degree, is pursued post-secondary education. You can get your bachelor’s in arts or science depending on your choices and major subjects. Typically, a bachelor’s graduate has to go through 120 semester credit hours or 180-quarter credits to get a four-year degree.
Percentage of Population with a 4 Year Degree
In the USA, 41 percent of the population has a 4-year bachelor’s degree. According to various studies, 6.7 percent of the world population have got their four years bachelor’s degree in 2020, a number that is considered to have reached double compared to the surveys conducted in 2010.
Four-Year Degree Holders in the USA
According to an article published by Erin Duffin, 38.3 percent of women and 36.7 percent of the male population of the United States have attained a four-year degree in 2020, which is significantly high compared to 3.8 percent of women and 5.5 percent male population in 1940.
Gender Gap in Education Attainment in the USA
According to Jessica Bryant, a contributor to BestColleges, women form the majority of those holding a four years college degree in the United States. The ratio of the women attaining higher education is 53 percent while males stood at 47 percent. The same study also found that educated women constitute the majority of the US workforce.
Racial/Ethnic Proportion of the USA Educational Attainment
The white population predominantly inhabits the United States and other races and ethnicities form the minority. The ratio is also observed in the attainment of education. According to Jessica Bryant, the percentage of the white population with four-year bachelor’s degrees stands at 72 followed by Blacks who form 9 percent of the educated population of the US.
Latino is holding the third-highest ratio and stood at 9 percent followed by Asians who are 8 percent of the educated US population. Two percent of the educated population were termed as others while 1 percent of the Native Americans are educated.
Why Getting a Four-Year Degree is Hard to Attain?
Getting a four-year degree is expensive. According to the College Board, the costs of attending private colleges have risen from about $17,011 in 1989 to $35,850 today. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 41 percent of the students achieve their degree in four years, while 59 percent of student gets their bachelor’s in six years which incur additional charges.
How Old is the Average Four-Year Graduate?
On average, a four-year graduate is 23 years old if a student enters his graduate studies at about 18 years of his age. However, most of the students complete their graduation at about 24 years of age. This completion age varies significantly and can reach up to 32 years of age. However, a traditional full-time student completes his degree in 4 years.
Canada is considered to be the Most Educated Country
Based on studies, Canada is considered to be the most educated country globally with 56.71 percent of its population meeting the OECD criteria of education. Canada is followed by Japan as the second-highest educated country with 51.44 percent of its adult population, while Israel is ranked in the third position with 50.92 percent of the educated adult population.
Does a Four-Degree Lead to Better Employment Opportunities?
Yes, a four year-degree leads to better future prospects and opens up various employment opportunities compared to those who are less educated.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people with a bachelor’s degree earn 67 percent higher salaries than people with a high school diploma.
The people with higher education of four-year bachelor’s degrees not only earn more, but they have more opportunities to change their jobs if they don’t like them. This trend is followed and observed because they have more opportunities.
A four-year education provides them with a quality education that can be easily turned into practical life experiences and skills that make them more confident about their capabilities and future prospects.
Better Education and Employment Status Leads to Social Up-gradation
The reason why the rise is observed in getting a four-year bachelor’s degree worldwide is obvious. A bachelor’s degree offers new employment opportunities that add to the economic well-being of its attainer.
A good economic position leads to better living and social up-gradation. People respect a person who can earn a decent living, but they admire a person with wealth. This is reality. So, a good education leads to better economic and social prospects.
That is why more and more people try to get a four-year bachelor’s degree to enter into the privileged class of society.
Conclusion
Higher education paves the way for living a better life, yet it is hard to attain it. Various studies have shown that a small percentage of the world population has access to a four-year bachelor’s degree globally. Only 41 percent of the US adult population holds a four-year bachelor’s degree. However, a rise in the attainment of the four-year bachelor’s degree is observed recently. This rise is caused by various factors such as better employment opportunities, economic well-being, and social rise in status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: How long does it take to get a bachelor’s degree?
Answer: There are two kinds of bachelor’s degrees: One is two years and the other is a four-year bachelor also known as BS.
Question 2: Does a four-year bachelor’s offer more employment opportunities?
Answer: Yes, a four-year bachelor’s provides more opportunities that lead to better economic prospects.