By Cassie Coughlin | Staff Writer
College students expect to walk away from college with at least a degree, but is there a possibility that they could also leave with a better chance at walking down the aisle?
A main component of college is socializing and it’s not far off to think that the people you meet in college will remain your lifelong friends, or even partner.
“I have done my growing up, so I feel like I could see myself marrying someone from college,” said student Cole Hagle.
According to a study by Facebook Data Science, which examined a portion of Facebook users profile information, “about 28% of married college-graduates attended the same college.”
The study also found that a majority of couples who married from the same college attend a religious based college.
Although the percentage of college students marrying from the same college seems low, researchers have shown a connection in college education and high marriage rates.
“The number of newly married adults with at least a bachelor’s degree increased by 98,000 from 2011 to 2012,” based on a study from Pew Research Center.
“The long-run trends on entry into marriage clearly show that less-educated adults have become less likely to ever get married.”
From this study, it may seem that although college educated people are more likely to get married, they are also less likely to take the monumental step immediately following graduation.
In regards to whether or not getting married right after college is too soon, student Johnny Orta said, “yes, you both have so much life to live, there is absolutely no rush.”
Although, this is a valid response, naturally not all students feel the same way.
Student Ashley Thomas, who is currently engaged to a fellow CSUSB alumnus, feels marriage after college graduation is perfectly fine as long as it is with the right person.
“I think marrying after college is positive in the sense that you both are growing together and have someone to live your life with, especially in the hard stages,” said Thomas.
With a majority of college student’s having to pay back student loans after graduation, it’s reasonable to say money may be a common issue in marriages straight out of college.
According to a 2011 Pew Research study, “about 7% of adults who took out college loans said they delayed getting married or starting a family because of their need to pay back the debt.”
“The negative is that you have to accept the fact that financially it will be difficult, because you both are still young in your careers, but if you go into it sober-mindedly you can work out the difficulties,” said Thomas.
Regardless of past research, when it comes down to it, deciding when to marry is based on personal beliefs, desires, student debt, and overbearing parents.
Leave a Reply