Student expectations of the financial returns to higher education

According to human capital theory، individuals invest in higher education when it has appropriate return rate. They invest in scientific and technical disciplines that have higher return rate among variety of disciplinary. Their evaluation of financial return is a kind of forward-looking and cognitive. The purpose of this research was to analyze economic behavior of students in colleges of engineering، and education and psychology at University of Tehran. A descriptive research method was used. The population of study was all students in colleges of engineering and education and psychology at University of Tehran in 2011 (N=8046). The sample of study consisted of 614 students who were selected using classified sampling method. Data were collected using a researcher made open-ended questionnaire. Cost - Benefit Analysis technique was used for calculating the expected rate of returns. Calculations results showed that student expectations of higher education return are remarkable and they consider cognitive evaluation of financial return in their continuation of their education and major’s selection decision makings.