As a senior, the most frequently asked questions I’ve received in the past year all revolve around what’s next. The big one being: “So, where are you going to college?”
The assumption that I am going is automatic–as if college is the natural next step after high school. But, as tuition increases and student debt becomes an imperative issue, more high school students are asking a more dire question: is college even worth the cost anymore?
According to the Lumina Foundation’s 2025 State of Higher Education study, people’s emotions are tangled, with Americans believing college costs far too much, yet also believing it is still worth it.
With my college decisions floating around, the biggest decision looms: how much am I willing to spend, even on a dream accomplished? The cost of college prevents many students from entering their dream college, and steers more and more students to enter trades or other options.
Obviously, college is expensive– really expensive. The study from Lumina Foundation found that only 18 percent of
adults without a degree think tuition at four-year colleges is fair. Even two-year colleges, which are said to be affordable, only earned a 40 percent fairness rating. Less than half of the population see higher education as reasonably priced.
My friends and I feel the financial stress already, even as it hasn’t even dented our lives as prominently. As it comes up as a joke that we pray can be ignored, it is an issue that almost all of the entire student population must attend to. It is hard to get excited about choosing a campus while wondering if the degree that comes with it will provide a financially stable lifestyle in the future, despite all of the debt.
As someone who wants to enter even more schooling after getting my bachelor’s degree, I can speak on behalf of many worried students who wonder if a hard-earned degree is worth the fortune being spent on every credit, housing, and year spent.
The importance of the degree itself is what complicates things. Even with all the stress about cost, people still believe in the power of a degree, and where that degree is earned. The same study states that 70 percent of adults without a college degree think a bachelor’s is “extremely valuable.” Even with adults who have never gone to college, 63 percent still believe a bachelor’s degree would have been worth it for them.
Still, students have the affordable, and oftentimes, even the most reasonable option to attend community college. So, even with community college as a great option, why do students spend tens of thousands of dollars to have some prestige? Americans value the college experience along with the school the degree is from.
I value education alongside the rest of America. Although college may be expensive, a life without a degree could be
even more costly in the long run if one does not get into trades or is not born with some amazing talent.
But even though many people still believe in the value of a degree, trust in college as an institution is fading. The study from the Lumina Foundation reports that 68 percent of adults think higher education is headed in the wrong direction. This study can be especially scary and even extremely relevant to high school seniors applying for college.
The issue is obviously not that people don’t believe in college, but just the fact that college is becoming so insanely expensive in America. So, is college worth the cost? My answer, similar to many students in America, is yes, although I, too, am worried about the financial suffering. To earn a degree, for me, is a necessity. Education is both a huge opportunity and a pathway leading to thousands more opportunities. The insufferable price tag comes with the degree, but if it means that I am to be educated and get a reliable job, then the price tag becomes tolerable. Still, my nerves aren’t resting until my college decisions come in–not just to see the acceptances, but to see the dreadful amount of money.
