Only 38 Percent Of Recent Grads Think That College Was Worth The Cost

The average cost of tuition and fees at a private, non-profit, four-year university in 2015 was $31,231—up sharply from $1,832 in 1971-1972 (in current dollars). These skyrocketing costs are leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of college graduates who don’t think their exorbitant tuition fees are worth it.

According to data from the second annual poll from the Gallup Organization in conjunction with Purdue University, college grads were not satisfied with all the money they poured into their education.

Approximately 30,000 graduates of four-year colleges in the United States were surveyed for the Gallup-Purdue Index study to see how college affected a person’s happiness in life and work years after they graduated.

The results show that only half of college graduates in the United States “strongly agree” that their diploma was worth the money they doled out to get it. The buyer’s remorse is even more so for recent graduates (2006 – 2015), only 38 percent strongly agree that their education was worth the price they paid.


The numbers get even more dire for those with huge student loans. A mere 18 percent of recent grads with $50,000 or more in student loan debt “strongly agreed” that their education was worth what they paid for it. Of the 30,000 graduates in the survey, approximately 15 percent borrowed $50,000 or more in student loans.

There were certain factors that made people believe that their college was worth the price they paid including great professors, great mentors, extracurricular activities, internships, and involvement in clubs, sororities and fraternities.

So what say you? Was your college experience and degree worth what you paid?

Read the entire article at Gallup.

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