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For some people, college costs too much for the credential or career it delivers. But a 2025 U.S. survey finding that many Gen Z and millennial degree holders called their degrees a waste of time and money is an opinion measure—not proof that college is a bad investment. National earnings data still show higher median earnings for bachelor’s degree holders than for people with only a high school diploma. Whether a degree pays off depends on its net cost, the chance of finishing, the career it enables and the income you give up while studying.
What the survey says—and what it doesn’t
In a U.S. online survey commissioned by Indeed and conducted by The Harris Poll, 51% of Gen Z degree holders and 41% of millennial degree holders said their degree was a waste of time and money. The survey included 772 employed, job-seeking or work-seeking adults with an associate degree or higher and ran March 27–31, 2025. The finding describes what those respondents thought; it does not calculate their degrees’ financial returns or represent every young adult. Indeed’s survey report provides the results and question context.
Other surveys ask different questions of different groups, so their results should not be treated as a direct contradiction. Intelligent.com reported in 2022 that 80% of 1,250 surveyed U.S. college graduates age 25 and older said college was worth the investment. That was a commissioned Pollfish survey, not a population estimate. In Deloitte’s 2025 survey of 23,482 respondents across 44 countries, 31% of Gen Z respondents and 32% of millennial respondents said they decided not to pursue higher education. That measures a decision among a global survey population, not regret among U.S. degree holders. Intelligent.com and Deloitte describe their respective surveys.
Views can also change with age and experience. The Federal Reserve’s report on 2022 households says most adults who attended college felt the investment paid off, with views varying by debt and age; older respondents have had more time to experience potential earnings benefits. A young graduate’s frustration can be genuine even when a longer-term average looks favorable. The Federal Reserve’s 2022 household report discusses those patterns.
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What earnings data show
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2024, full-time, year-round workers age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher had median earnings 1.8 times those of workers with a high school diploma and no college. This is a comparison between groups, not proof that a degree caused the difference for each worker. It does not account for every person’s tuition, debt, field, school, work history or ability to complete a program. The Census Bureau’s 2025 report gives the comparison.
That distinction matters: a credential can be associated with higher earnings across a population and still be a poor financial choice for a particular student. The right comparison is not simply “degree” versus “no degree.” It is the likely outcome of a specific program at a specific net cost against realistic alternatives for the same career goal.
Why a degree can feel like a bad deal
- The price is higher than the payoff. Tuition and fees are only part of the cost; housing, books, travel and other expenses can add up. Grants and scholarships reduce the price, while borrowing creates future payments.
- Study delays earnings. Time in school can mean years of wages and work experience forgone. Compare those lost earnings with the earnings and opportunities the credential may unlock.
- Completion is uncertain. If a student leaves without the credential, they may still owe for their studies but miss jobs that require a completed degree.
- The credential may not be needed for the target job. Some occupations require a degree or license; others may accept experience, apprenticeships, certificates or demonstrated skills. Check actual requirements rather than assuming every career needs college.
- Debt makes the downside harder to absorb. A graduate with modest earnings and sizable loan payments may experience the degree very differently from someone who received substantial aid or entered a high-demand occupation.
The Federal Reserve’s 2025 report on 2024 households found that among adults who had ever incurred education debt, 8% were behind on payments and 33% had outstanding education debt and were current. These figures describe repayment status among people who had ever borrowed; they do not measure whether their degrees produced a positive return. The report’s higher-education section provides the figures.
How to judge whether a degree is worth it for you
Build the comparison around the program and career you are actually considering. Use net price after grants and aid, not a school’s headline tuition, and compare it with the likely cost and outcome of a credible alternative.
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- Identify the career requirement. Check whether employers or licensing rules for your target occupation require a degree, prefer one or accept other qualifications. If a degree is required, compare programs that qualify you without taking on more cost than necessary.
- Find the real net cost. Include tuition, fees and necessary living costs; subtract grants and scholarships. Separate savings and pay-as-you-go costs from the amount you would borrow.
- Estimate the time and completion risk. Use the expected time to graduate, not just the published program length. Consider whether you can sustain the course load, work schedule and other responsibilities. A longer path can increase both costs and forgone income.
- Compare relevant outcomes. Look for earnings and employment outcomes for the field and institution, and check which graduates or workers are counted. A broad national average cannot predict an individual program’s results.
- Count income you would give up. Compare likely wages while enrolled—or the wages and experience available through immediate work or training—with the additional earnings and options a completed degree may provide.
- Stress-test the debt. Estimate payments against a conservative starting income, not an optimistic salary. Consider what happens if you take longer to finish, earn less than expected or need to change fields.
The Chicago Fed’s discussion of education returns emphasizes subtracting tuition and fees from earnings comparisons and notes that income-driven repayment programs can help eligible borrowers manage affordability. Such programs have eligibility rules and design limitations; they do not erase debt or work the same way for every borrower. The Chicago Fed’s analysis explains the return calculation and repayment considerations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When college may make sense—and when to consider another route
A degree is more likely to be worth considering when it is a clear requirement for the work you want, the net cost is manageable, you have a realistic path to completion, and relevant outcomes support the investment. It may be a weaker choice when the price depends on heavy borrowing, the career does not require the credential, or the expected earnings are too uncertain to justify the cost.
Alternatives are not automatically cheaper or better. Compare apprenticeships, employer training, certificates, community college transfer routes or entering work directly on the same terms: total cost, time, likelihood of completion, employment prospects and earnings. Do not assume a training program is valuable because it is shorter; look for evidence about outcomes for people who complete it.
A degree is neither universally wasteful nor universally worthwhile. The survey captures real dissatisfaction among some graduates, while Census earnings data show a substantial population-level earnings difference. Neither settles the individual decision. The practical question is whether the particular credential, at the particular price and with a realistic chance of completion, improves your prospects enough to justify its costs and risks.
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