Public postsecondary institutions were established in Alabama to support the economic interests of the state. Initially land grants institutions were established to support agriculture and later other universities were established to support business and industry. Teaching colleges were established in order to improve the general education of the citizenry. Technical and community colleges were established to address specific workforce needs of the state and to provide greater access to education to the working poor. The following measures quantify each public institution’s impact on the state’s economy:

5.1 Employment Outcomes Report provides the percentage of graduates employed in-state one-year and five-years after graduation and provides wages by major and by degree level. These reports show how many graduates remained in the state to work and their annual income.  

5.2 United States Department of Education Employment Data of Financial Aid Students Report tracks students who had received federal need-based aid in order to determine the financial impact of their education on their income. This notes the income of students who had received federal financial aid ten years after entering college, however it does not differentiate by major; it is an aggregated summary.
United States Department of Education also has the College Scorecard, which provides information about the annual cost, the graduation rate, and the salary after attending. For this type of information on the 38 Alabama public institutions, click on this link. This type of information is also available for the 29 Alabama private institutions, click on this link.