A growing number of high school students and nonenrolled adults are finding college degrees less valuable, a new study found.
While majorities in both groups see value in two- and four-year universities, those educational options rank in the “middle of the pack” compared to alternatives such as on-the-job training, licenses, and certificates, according to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-commissioned study published last week.
“The message students received during the pandemic was clear: Education is not important. Higher education institutions have further devalued themselves by inflating grades, eliminating merit, and focusing on DEI initiatives,” Alex Nester, investigative fellow for education advocacy group Parents Defending Education, told the Washington Examiner. “High schoolers and families are waking up and realizing that, in some cases, a degree is not worth tens of thousands of dollars of debt.”
According to the survey, conducted in 2023 of 1,700 high school juniors and seniors and 3,100 nonenrolled adults from ages 18 to 30, 63% of high schoolers and 69% of nonenrolled adults found “excellent/good value” in two-year degrees. The age groups diverged further on their views of four-year degrees, with only 57% of high schoolers finding value in the traditional university route versus 72% of nonenrolled adults who did.
Seventy-two percent of high schoolers and 74% of nonenrolled adults were more impressed with the value of professional certificates, as well as licenses and on-the-job training, than of degrees from two- and four-year universities.
The study also found that the number of non-college-enrolled adults who perceived salary increases or getting better jobs as reasons to attend college had dropped from last year’s version of the study. Many of those same adults now see a greater benefit in alternatives such as trade schools, licenses, and certificates.
In the latest study, majorities of both groups believed a college degree was necessary to get a “good job,” with 58% of high school students and 51% of nonenrolled adults agreeing, although much larger majorities, 69% and 65%, respectively, thought certificates were enough.
“At the end of the day, higher education has a lot of work to do to convince these audiences of its value,” said Terrell Dunn, a consultant at HCM Strategists, whose public policy and advocacy organization conducted the study alongside marketing firm Edge Research.
Significantly more nonenrolled adults than high schoolers also found that learning through social media platforms such as YouTube or TikTok held excellent or good value, with 49% of adults and 34% of high schoolers agreeing.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Concerns cited by the possible college students included taking on debt, lower interest in furthering education, a lack of evidence for a return on investment, and future uncertainty.
The Gates Foundation is looking to change messaging on college degrees, attempting to convince high schoolers and young adults that higher education holds significant value, according to Inside Higher Ed.