[ad_1]
WASHINGTON — As tuition prices continue to climb, the debate over whether a college degree is still a smart financial move remains a hot topic.
Generally speaking, the numbers suggest that higher education still pays off for most people. However, that financial return is far from guaranteed and depends heavily on your chosen major, total expenses, and the job market you enter after graduation.
Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics highlight the ongoing gap: in 2024, full-time workers aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree pulled in a median weekly income of $1,543. That is roughly 66% higher than the $930 earned by those whose highest credential is a high school diploma. College graduates also experience lower unemployment, sitting at 2.5% compared to 4.2% for high school grads.
Still, viewing a four-year degree as a one-size-fits-all solution is a mistake.
Your Major Dictates Your Financial Return
A 2025 study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce indicates that prime-age professionals with bachelor’s degrees typically make 70% more than those with only a high school education.
CAMBRIDGE, MA – OCTOBER 10: Massachusetts Institute of Technology students study outside the Kresgie Auditorium October 10, 2003 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by William B. Plowman/Getty Images)
Yet, those figures fluctuate wildly depending on the field of study.
For instance, median pay checks in fields like education and public service hover around $58,000, whereas STEM professionals pull in a median of roughly $98,000. Even within the broader STEM category, disparities are massive—Georgetown noted that certain agriculture majors see median earnings around $64,000, while petroleum engineering graduates can command up to $146,000.
This means that evaluating the value of a degree requires looking much deeper than the diploma itself; the specific subject matter plays a defining role.
The STEM Advantage Meets the AI Evolution
Tech, science, engineering, business, and healthcare degrees continue to dominate the top earning brackets.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is reshaping professional landscapes, even for highly trained individuals.
This doesn’t render STEM degrees obsolete, but it does shift the types of technical competencies employers are prioritizing. As AI automates certain tasks, career paths are evolving.
Ultimately, today’s students face a more complex equation: while a lucrative major still offers a major financial boost, no single diploma acts as an automatic ticket to a specific salary.
The Reality of Underemployment
Another hurdle for modern graduates is underemployment—a scenario where workers hold qualifications that surpass the actual demands of their jobs.
Depending on the metrics used, Georgetown estimates that anywhere from 25% to 52% of bachelor’s degree holders experience underemployment.
These shifting statistics aren’t necessarily indicative of a disagreement among researchers, but rather highlight the different definitions and measurement tools applied across studies.
Entry-level job seekers are feeling this pinch acutely. Federal Reserve Bank of New York data for the second quarter of 2026 shows an underemployment rate of roughly 42% for recent college graduates (defined as 22- to 27-year-olds with at least a bachelor’s degree who are out of school), alongside an unemployment rate near 5.6%.
The Verdict: Is Higher Ed Still Worth It?
The evidence does not support the broad assertion that college is a waste of money.
Conversely, it also proves that treating every degree as an equally sound financial investment is unwise.
On average, university graduates outearn peers with lower levels of education, and the earnings gap remains substantial. However, because salaries vary drastically by major and young professionals frequently struggle to find roles matching their training, the calculus is nuanced.
In the end, the true value of a college education rests on multiple variables: the institution, the major, total debt acquired, graduation rates, and subsequent career choices. For most, it remains a worthwhile financial venture, but the return on investment varies widely from person to person.
[ad_2]
Reference