Americans lose confidence college is worth it, skilled trades on the rise

As more Americans lose confidence that a college degree is actually worth it, a new study points to some potentially good news for the post-secondary schools. The number of high school graduates who chose to enroll in college held steady from 2022 to 2023 , and both years were a big improvement over enrollment numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Still, four years after the pandemic began, there are 900,000 fewer undergraduate students enrolling in college. College costs continue to rise and not wanting to accrue student loan debt has many high schoolers looking at other plans for after they graduate .

A separate recent study found nearly half (49%) of high schoolers believe a high school diploma, trade program, two-year degree or other type of enrichment program is the highest level of education needed for their anticipated career path. And even those planning on going to college believe on-the-job training and experience is more beneficial than getting a higher education degree, with 56% of them saying so.

A third study found a majority of those with student loan debt said their degree wasn’t worth it . While more than half (53%) said knowing they’d have to take on debt has stopped them from pursuing more education.

The Department of Labor says in the decade from 2012 to 2121, the number of registered apprentices jumped 64% . Just between 2022 and 2023 enrollment in vocational programs spiked 16%.

The Department of Education also found those who go to trade schools are more likely to find a job after going to school than those who take the traditional college route and are more likely to actually work in their field of study.

It’s also worth noting more and more Americans think two-year post-secondary schools are a better bang for your buck . In a recent Gallup survey, more than half (55%) said a degree from a two-year school is worth it while 18% believed the same thing about four-year colleges.

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