Reasons to go to college

# Why college still matters for social life and marriage

College gets evaluated mostly by its effect on earnings. Tyler Cowen's recent column shifts the focus to social returns: friends, dating, and marriage. Those outcomes matter more now because many Americans report loneliness, and because future work changes could increase the value of close personal relationships.

People with college degrees show clear advantages on multiple social indicators. College-educated adults are twice as likely to report having six or more close friends, and they are less than half as likely to report having no close friends. Strong, durable social networks are useful for emotional support, practical help, and long-term social capital.

Marriage patterns also differ by education. For adults over 25, 64% of people with a bachelor's degree are married compared with 50% of those whose highest credential is a high school diploma. The probability of staying married for at least 20 years shows even wider gaps. For women, the chance of remaining married 20 years or more is 78% with a college degree versus 41% with only a high school degree. For men the differences are smaller but still meaningful: 65% versus 47%.

Cowen notes a plausible link between these social patterns and broader demographic trends. If artificial intelligence reduces the number of paid work hours or changes job availability, economic returns to marriage and household stability may rise. Living longer also changes the calculus: if people expect a longer shared life, choosing whom to spend that time with becomes a higher-stakes decision.

College's economic premium appears to be shrinking. Cowen and related analyses point out that the wage advantage of a bachelor's degree has declined in recent years. That makes it especially useful to weigh non-pecuniary returns when evaluating the decision to go. For many prospective students, the social, relational, and lifestyle benefits of college may tip the balance in favor of attending, even as the purely financial case softens.

Practical implications for prospective students

• If you prioritize long-term social networks and higher odds of marriage and marital stability, include those benefits in your cost-benefit analysis.

Bottom line: don't evaluate college only by the money. For people who expect to value friendships, romantic partnerships, and long-term household stability, college provides measurable social returns that are relevant to the decision today.