Income cost is other income that students give up because they invest in graduate education, mainly including investment income and salary income.
1. Investment income. Investment income refers to the income obtained if the tuition fees paid by students are used for other investment means. If tuition fees are invested in stocks, funds, bank deposits and other industries, the income will constitute the opportunity cost of students. Take the three-year tuition fee of self-funded graduate students as an example. Although the return on investment in all walks of life is different, the capital investment of about 35,000 yuan in three years may not produce much economic benefits. For example, the most stable bank deposit interest is only about 1000 yuan, but it is also a part of personal opportunity cost that is abandoned because of graduate school. Perhaps because the opportunity cost of this part is too small, many people choose to go to graduate school.
2. Wage income. Salary income refers to the salary income obtained by students in the past three years without going to graduate school. According to the data of related reports, the average monthly salary of 20 1 1 undergraduate graduates is about 2000 yuan. With the increase of experience, qualifications and performance, the salary will gradually increase. According to this estimate, in addition to the consumption of daily necessities of about 20 thousand yuan in three years, the income in these three years is about 50 thousand yuan. This income also constitutes the opportunity cost of postgraduate study.
It can be seen that the opportunity cost for an undergraduate to directly study for a three-year master's degree is at least 50,000 to 60,000 yuan. For some graduates with tight majors and applied majors, the income from direct work after graduation is higher, that is, the opportunity cost of direct graduate study is higher than that of other students. For ordinary families in China, the educational investment cost of children's graduate school is still quite high. In addition to the opportunity cost that can be calculated and accounted, graduate students also face other hidden opportunities, which are difficult to measure by numbers.
(2) Time cost
This period of graduate study is the most critical golden period in their lives. Graduates who choose to go to graduate school have not only the basic theoretical foundation and knowledge structure, but also the innovative spirit and flexible thinking, as well as the unique courage and vitality of young people. At this stage, if they can get better opportunities, it is likely to be the beginning of their brilliant career. However, if you choose to go to graduate school, students' activities are mainly in school, their social circle is very small, their study also consumes a lot of time and energy, and their social interaction is very limited, which is likely to make them lose many important opportunities. For those students who are successful in their studies, it is worthwhile to study hard for three years at a cold window. However, for those students who are not interested in scientific research but just don't want to face the pressure of employment, those three years are almost wasted. If some students can't graduate on time, they have to postpone their graduation. The longer the delay, the greater the time cost. An inch of time and an inch of gold, wasting three years of good time, is a great loss for young people. The opportunity cost of this part should not be underestimated.