"When you are looking at your final options, you want to set aside, for the time being, the emotional content and analyze things rationally, " says Anne Sturtevant, executive director of higher education at the College Board, provider of the SAT and Advanced Placement Program.

WSJ: Making Sense of College Aid

Legal access to contraception is a significant factor in a larger number of women getting at least some college education and in more women pursing advanced degrees.

FORBES: Controversy Over Contraception Misses the Economic Point