63% of Americans Now Think College Is a Waste of Money

A 12-Year Shift in Opinion

A new NBC News poll found that 63% of American voters believe a four-year college degree is not worth the money. That is a complete reversal from 2013, when a majority said the opposite.

The shift crosses every demographic group, from Democrats to Republicans, from high school graduates to people with advanced degrees.

Behind the numbers is a simple math problem: tuition has doubled in 30 years, student debt has passed $1.7 trillion, and a lot of graduates are finding that their degrees do not pay off the way they expected.

Meanwhile, trade schools are seeing their biggest enrollment surge in decades.

Only 33% Still Believe in the Degree

In the October 2025 NBC News poll, just 33% of registered voters agreed that a four-year degree is worth the cost because graduates have better job prospects and earn more money over their lifetimes.

The other 63% said it is not worth it because people often graduate without specific job skills and with large amounts of debt to pay off.

The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

The Turnaround Took Just 12 Years

The speed of this shift surprised even the pollsters. In 2013, 53% of Americans said a college degree was worth the cost and 40% said it was not.

By 2017, the country was split almost evenly at 49% to 47%. Now the numbers have flipped entirely.

Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt called the change remarkable, noting that Americans used to view a college degree as aspirational and a path to a better life, but now that promise is in serious doubt.

Republicans Turned Against College Fastest

No group has shifted more dramatically than Republicans. In 2013, 55% of Republicans said a degree was worth it while 38% disagreed.

In the new poll, just 22% of Republicans say a four-year degree is worth the cost, and 74% say it is not. That is a 33-point drop in 12 years.

Democrats have shifted too, but not as sharply, going from 61% support in 2013 to 47% today.

Even Graduates Have Their Doubts

Less than half of people who actually hold college degrees now say those degrees were worth the cost. In 2013, 63% of degree holders said their investment paid off.

Today, just 46% say the same. Among people without degrees, skepticism is even higher.

In 2013, non-degree holders were roughly split on the question. Now 71% say a four-year degree is not worth it.

Tuition Has Doubled in 30 Years

The math behind the skepticism is not hard to find.

College Board data shows that the average inflation-adjusted cost of public four-year college tuition for in-state students has doubled since 1995.

Tuition at private four-year colleges is up 75% over the same period.

For the 2024-2025 school year, tuition and fees at in-state public schools averaged around $24,920 when room and board are included, while private colleges averaged about $58,600.

Student Debt Has Passed $1.7 Trillion

The total student loan debt in America now stands at about $1. 78 trillion, with federal loans accounting for 92% of that balance.

According to Federal Student Aid data, the average borrower owed $39,375 by the third quarter of 2025, nearly double the average debt in 2008.

Most borrowers take between 10 and 25 years to pay off their loans, with only 40% managing to do it in 10 years or less.

Entry-Level Jobs Cannot Cover the Payments

Jacob Kennedy, a 28-year-old server and bartender in Detroit with a two-year degree, told NBC News he has met many coworkers with four-year degrees who quit their office jobs within a year of graduating to go back to restaurant work.

The jobs they got out of college did not pay enough to cover their debt, so they had to find something else. His conclusion: the cost now overwhelms the value.

Trade Schools Are Seeing Record Growth

While four-year colleges struggle with enrollment, trade schools are booming. Total enrollment at vocational-focused schools grew 13.6% in fall 2024, building on a 16% increase in 2023.

HVAC programs saw enrollment jump 27% to 25,000 students, a 41% increase from 2020.

Projections show trade school enrollment will grow 6. 6% annually through 2030, far outpacing the 0.8% growth expected for higher education overall.

Gen Z Is Betting on the Trades

Young people increasingly see manual labor as more secure than white-collar jobs, especially with artificial intelligence threatening office work.

A 2023 survey found that 83% of adults aged 18 to 30 said learning a skilled trade can be a better path to financial security than college.

Jobs like HVAC technician, electrician, and wind turbine installer are in high demand, with some paying over $100,000 a year.

The Earnings Gap Is Still Real

Despite the shift in public opinion, the economic data has not changed.

Bureau of Labor Statistics figures from 2024 show that full-time workers with only a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $946, while workers with a bachelor’s degree earned $1,533.

Over the past 20 years, earnings for high school graduates rose just 3. 2%, while earnings for bachelor’s degree holders increased 6.3%.

Men with bachelor’s degrees earn roughly $900,000 more in lifetime earnings than high school graduates, and women with degrees earn about $630,000 more.

Colleges Have Lost the Public’s Trust

Pollster Jeff Horwitt said colleges and universities have lost the connection they once had with a large portion of the American public. They are now seen as out of touch and not accessible to many Americans.

Jessica Burns, a 38-year-old in Iowa, summed up the problem: a degree is valuable because it is the key to getting in the door for many jobs, not because it adds real value.

Her view is that if society values college, it needs to make it affordable. Until that happens, the skepticism is likely to keep growing.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• U.S. loses $5.7 billion after Canadians quit coming in 2025
• Iconic Disney World foods worth every bite
• US Ranchers Say Trump Sold Them Out With Argentina Beef Deal