Samuelson, who is a former Crimson editor, defended his piece, saying that he felt the second part of the study was less significant than the first.

"There was some statistical correlation between higher tuition and subsequent higher earnings, but Krueger and Dale couldn't explain it," Samuelson said. " I don't consider it an important finding."

A direct correlation between high college costs and later income just doesn't make sense, he said.

"If you applied the logic that higher tuition means higher earnings, then every college would raise its tuition by $100,000 to improve its standards," Samuelson said.

These findings support a study by Hoxby that was published this past summer. Her study sparked media interest with its declaration that students who attend elite universities are likely to earn higher salaries than graduates of lower-ranked schools.

Yesterday, Hoxby questioned the value of asking which school offers higher returns within a given tuition bracket, as Krueger's study did.

"I don't know whether Harvard or Johns Hopkins is the better choice," she said. "And I don't think it's a very interesting question."