WASHINGTON (TNND) — Rising tuition costs have long sparked debate over whether pursuing a higher education is still a smart financial move.
The short answer is yes: for the majority of degree holders, the numbers still point to a clear economic payoff. However, that return on investment depends heavily on your choice of major, the total cost of your schooling, and your career trajectory after graduation.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that in 2024, full-time employees aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree brought in median weekly earnings of $1,543, compared to just $930 for those whose highest credential was a high school diploma—a roughly 66% difference. Furthermore, college graduates experienced lower unemployment, sitting at 2.5% versus 4.2% for high school graduates.
Even so, the value of a bachelor’s degree is far from uniform.
Your choice of major matters
A 2025 study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce showed that prime-age workers with a bachelor’s degree typically earn 70% more at the median than individuals with only a high school diploma.
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 financial outcomes differ dramatically depending on the field of study.
Median earnings span from approximately $58,000 for education and public service majors up to $98,000 for those in STEM disciplines. Even within STEM, the gap can be massive: Georgetown’s findings show median salaries ranging from $64,000 for certain agriculture degrees to $146,000 for petroleum engineering.
This highlights that the real question isn’t simply whether a degree pays off, but how much your specific area of study dictates that return.
STEM retains its edge, though AI shifts the landscape
Science, technology, engineering, and math fields consistently rank among the most lucrative pathways for college grads. Georgetown’s research highlights STEM, business, communications, and healthcare as top earners.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is reshaping employment markets, even for highly skilled professionals.
This doesn’t render STEM degrees obsolete, but it does mean employer expectations are evolving, and certain roles will shift as AI adoption grows.
Consequently, students face a more intricate decision-making process: while lucrative degrees offer a distinct financial advantage, a diploma alone is never a blank check for a specific salary or career path.
A diploma doesn’t guarantee a relevant career
A major hurdle for many recent graduates is underemployment—finding themselves in roles that demand far less education or training than they possess.
Georgetown reports that existing estimates of underemployment among bachelor’s degree holders span anywhere from 25% to 52%.
This broad range doesn’t indicate a debate over the existence of underemployment; rather, researchers apply varying definitions and metrics to measure it.
Fresh graduates face particularly stiff headwinds.
Figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicate that by the second quarter of 2026, the underemployment rate for recent graduates hovered around 42%, while the unemployment rate stood near 5.6%.
The New York Fed classifies recent graduates as individuals aged 22 to 27 who hold at least a bachelor’s degree and are no longer enrolled in school.
So, is higher education still worth it?
The available data refutes the sweeping narrative that college is a bad financial decision.
However, those same numbers make it clear that not all four-year degrees carry the same weight as investments.
Graduates generally out-earn peers with less schooling, and Georgetown’s findings underscore a clear earnings boost for degree holders. Even so, pay varies wildly by major, and new alumni often struggle to secure work that utilizes their training.
Ultimately, the value of college relies on a mix of variables: the specific credential, the chosen major, tuition expenses, graduation rates, and the subsequent career journey.
In short, higher education remains a solid investment overall—just one where the financial rewards vary greatly from person to person.