IntroductionAmidst the continued expansion of higher education in China, this study investigates the correlational trends and urban-rural disparities in the returns to higher education from 2012 to 2021.MethodsUsing data from the China General Social Survey (CGSS) for the years 2012 and 2021, this correlation study employed three analytical approaches: ordinary least squares (OLS) regression for baseline estimates, propensity score matching (PSM) to adjust for observable characteristics, and qua