By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A “groundbreaking” database has just been published pinpointing median salaries for recent graduates from public and private colleges in Virginia. An example is George Mason University where a starting salary for a state job is $30,000 plus and one in computer information is more than $55,000.

Nick Anderson’s October 5th article in The Washington Post cautions that it can take years to reveal the value of a degree, more than financial return; but in terms of college costs and debt, such information is of interest to lawmakers and parents.

With Virginia legislators passing a law that annual wage and degree data be published, educators have voiced concerns that data could mislead college applicants making education and career choices on projected earnings.

Senators Ron Wyden (D/Oregon) and Marco Rubio (R/Florida) have sponsored the “Student Right to Know Before You Go Act,” to help other states link education to labor market data and similar efforts are underway in other states.