Colleges and universities fuel economic and social progress in Illinois. Moreover, the person with higher education will work for more years. The benefits of higher education for students and the state, however, are not limited to financial gain. For instance, the study found that 15,000 fewer premature adult deaths in Illinois annually can be attributed to higher education. Moreover, college graduates are more likely to seek prenatal care when they become pregnant, are less likely to smoke cigarettes, and have lower mortality rates generally than others.
College graduates are better at child rearing and domestic management.
They have daughters who are less likely to have children out of wedlock, are more actively involved in their children's education, and rely less on public aid. They are much more likely to be employed. There are 581,000 more people in the labor force and 614,000 more employed people in Illinois than would be the case without our higher education system. They are also more likely to vote in major elections - an estimated 780,000 in the upcoming election due to our colleges and universities. And college graduates are more likely to volunteer their time.