Many Americans believe a four-year college degree is no longer worth the cost

A poll by NBC News found that two-thirds of Americans believe a four-year college degree isn't worth the cost.

Poll: In a dramatic shift, Americans no longer see four-year college degrees as worth the cost

The survey was conducted among 1,000 registered voters, with 48% male and 52% female, and a fairly even representation of ages ranging from 18 to over 75.

Values surrounding a university degree are changing, with 53% of respondents saying that a degree is worth the cost in a June 2013 survey, but this figure fell to 49% in an August 2017 survey, dropping to just half, and finally to 33% in an October 2025 survey. Conversely, the majority, 63%, said that a degree is not worth the cost.

The 'worth it' response reflects the view that it is worth the cost because it leads to good jobs and increased lifetime earnings, while the 'not worth it' response reflects the view that it is not worth the cost because people graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt.

Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the survey, described this change as a dramatic shift in Americans' attitudes toward a college degree, which is central to the 'American Dream.' 'What's really striking is that it's not just people who didn't graduate from college who are thinking this way, everyone is changing their minds,' he said.

National data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that those with advanced degrees have higher incomes and lower unemployment rates than those with less education, and this has remained consistent for many years.

However, tuition costs have changed dramatically. While tuition has 'declined slightly' over the past decade, adjusting for inflation, tuition at public four-year colleges and universities has doubled since 1995. Tuition at private four-year colleges and universities has also increased by 75% over the same period. The study also found that rising tuition costs were almost always linked to the decline in the value of a degree.

Preston Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank, said there was a serious rift growing under the long-held belief that a college degree always pays.

Not only has the cost-effectiveness of a degree declined, but trust in 'higher education' has also declined over the past decade. 'College is now seen as unaffordable and inaccessible for many Americans,' Horwitt said.