78% Of College Graduates Say It Was Worth It

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/24/2026) While the House last week passed a budget slashing 62% of state funding from Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of Michigan (UofM), a national survey came out suggesting 78% of college grads believe their degrees were worth the cost.

The Quinnipiac University data shows 20% with degrees didn't believe the degree was worth either the time nor the money.

The House's proposed cuts may have had more to do with sending a message than being serious about ending $421 million in funding to the state's two Big Ten schools. However, the cuts also come amid a generation of students exiting college with degrees but without much in the way of career prospects.

The polling shows more Republicans are skeptical of the value of a college degree than Democrats, but the Quinnipiac results are still lopsided in favor of higher education. A total of 72% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats said their degrees were worth it.

Among those who said it wasn't worth it, 58% blamed the cost of college, 25% said it didn't provide good career paths and 17% said the quality of education.

Other results reveal a vast 76% majority of Americans see benefits to international students studying in the United States, a plurality think federal money for student loans should be increased, and Americans are mixed about the idea of a three-year "applied bachelor's" degree.

Numerous schools, including the University of Michigan-Flint, offer the degree. It combines technical/career prep with a traditional academic curriculum.

Moving to the subject of artificial intelligence (AI), 74% believe it's important that college and university students be taught how to use AI, while 23 percent think it is either not so important (9 percent) or not important at all (14 percent).

A majority of Americans (58%) give colleges and universities a good grade, with 15% thinking they are doing an excellent job educating their students and 43% thinking they are doing a good job, while 36% give colleges and universities a bad grade: 17 percent thinking they are doing a not so good job and 19 percent thinking they are doing a poor job.

A plurality of Americans (44%) think the amount of money the federal government provides in student loans should be increased, 29 percent think the amount should remain the same and 18 percent think the amount should be decreased.

Americans less than 50 years old are more likely to think the federal government should increase the amount of money it provides in student loans than those greater than 50 years of age.