Nearly two-thirds of Americans say a four-year college degree is not worth the cost, according to a startling new poll.
Some 63 percent of Americans, surveyed for an NBC News poll last month, agreed that a college degree is “not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off.”
Just 33 percent agreed that a four-year degree “is worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime.” The remaining 4 percent said they weren’t sure either way. The outlet surveyed 1,000 registered voters between October 24 and 28.
This marks a dramatic change from the results of a similar NBC News poll in 2017, which showed Americans were more evenly divided on the issue. At the time, about 49 percent of Americans said a four-year degree was worth the cost, while 47 percent said it wasn’t.
The split was similar in 2013, when 53 percent of Americans surveyed in a CNBC poll said a college degree was worth the cost.
There’s also a big difference in attitude between Democrats and Republicans, according to the latest NBC News poll. Only 22 percent of Republican voters said college is worth the cost, compared to 47 percent of Democrats. Independent voters fell in between the two parties, with 32 percent saying a college degree is worth the price.
Data published this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that having a four-year degree correlates with higher weekly earnings and a lower unemployment rate, compared to those who did not attend college.
However, the cost of college is rising. According to the College Board’s College Pricing 2025 report, the average cost of tuition and fees at a public, four-year, in-state college, for the 2025-2026 school year, is $11,950, which is up by $340 from the 2024-2025 academic year.
That price is much higher for a private, nonprofit four-year university, where tuition and fees cost an average of $45,000.
But the actual cost of a four-year degree can be much higher, especially once you factor in other costs, like housing and student loan interest.
Investing in a bachelor’s degree can cost upwards of $500,000 when loan interest and potential lost income are factored in, according to a 2025 analysis by the Education Data Initiative.
The poll shows more Americans are now doubting whether college can give them a better life, according to Jeff Horwitt, a Democratic pollster with Hart Research Associates who helped conduct the NBC News survey.
“It’s just remarkable to see attitudes on any issue shift this dramatically, and particularly on a central tenet of the American dream, which is a college degree,” he told NBC News. “Americans used to view a college degree as aspirational — it provided an opportunity for a better life. And now that promise is really in doubt.”
