Increasing the level of educational attainment of the population may not always increase the social benefits for those who receive the education. In fact, when a high percentage of the population attains a certain level of education, that attainment ceases to provide socioeconomic benefits; instead, those few who have not reached that educational level find themselves suffering from socioeconomic liabilities. Some of the relationships between educational attainment and socioeconomic benefits are explored in the two mathematical models discussed in this paper. The Aggregate Model rests upon idealized normal distributions of benefits and educational attainment within a meritocratic society. The Probabilistic Utility Model assumes more flexible distributions. The models indicate that, at least in theory, educational policies that seem to promote equity may in fact cause socioeconomic hardships and disequilibrium. (Author/PGD)