Pew Research Center Survey: Is College Worth It?
Key findings from a report on two recent studies on the value of a college education:
- Although the general public understands the effect that a college degree has on earnings, a majority believe that college is too expensive for most Americans and not a good value for the money.
- Parents expect their children to attend college, but fewer than half attend a four-year college.
- The public is split on whether the primary purpose of college is related to work-place skills (47%) or intellectual growth (39%). The remainder believe these should be equally important.
- College presidents responded that higher education is headed in the right direction (57%) but that students start college less prepared that students were ten years ago (58%).
- Other findings of the report address student loans, President Obama’s goals for higher education, who should pay for college, grade inflation, and tenure.
