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The American debate over whether a college education is worth it began when the colonists arrived from Europe and founded “New College” (later renamed Harvard University) in 1636. Today, there are around 20 million college students in the United States, and over 44 million borrowers owe a collective $1.5 trillion in total student debt.
Colonial America produced nine colleges that still operate: Harvard University (1636), the College of William & Mary (1693), Yale University (1701), Princeton University (1746), Columbia University (1754), Brown University (1764), Dartmouth College (1769), Rutgers University (1766), and the University of Pennsylvania (1740 or 1749). These universities were funded by the colony or England and usually catered to a specific religious denomination such as Congregational or Presbyterian (Puritan). Primary and secondary school systems were not yet established so “college students” were sometimes boys as young as fourteen or fifteen years old and were admitted to receive preparatory education with the assumption that they would matriculate to college-level courses.
The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries created a college-building boom, increasing the number of schools from 25 colleges in 1800 to 241 colleges in 1860; increasing the variety of schools to include seminaries, scientific schools, military service academies, and teaching schools; and increasing the programs of study to include medicine, law, military science, and agriculture. State universities came into prominence beginning with the University of North Carolina (1795) and the University of Georgia (1801). In the spring of 1833, Oberlin Collegiate Institute (now Oberlin College) admitted women to a “Ladies Course” program and in 1837 admitted four women to the baccalaureate program, three of whom graduated in 1841 with degrees.
By 1910, “undergraduate life” came into prominence with mascots, school colors, college hymns, intercollegiate athletics, and other traditions.
After World War II colleges and universities moved toward advanced, selective programs and expanded the base of students admitted. Research universities, junior colleges (now called community colleges), and for-profit institutions thrived.
Pell Grants were introduced in 1972 and increased the number of students for whom higher education was possible. By 1978, the financial aid focus changed from grants to loans, increasing the amount of debt a graduating college student owned. In the 1975-1976 school year 75% of students received grants, 21% received loans compared to the 1984-1985 school year in which 29% of students received grants and 66% received loans.
The major shift in higher education during this time was the transition from mass higher education, expecting to educate 40-50% of high school graduates, to universal higher education, expecting to educate all high school graduates. The shift was seen in public school enrollments which accounted for about 75% of enrollments in 1970, up from the almost equal split between public and private colleges in 1950. Community colleges and technical institutes also gained students: from 82,000 in 1950 to 1.3 million in 1980.
The 1970s also saw the shift from higher education for education’s sake to a need for pre-professional studies and a translation to work after graduation. For many, to be considered middle-class or to get a middle-class job required a college degree.
According to the US Census Bureau, 33.4% of the adult US population had a bachelor’s degree or higher as of Mar. 30, 2017 (up from 28% in 2006), with 20.8% holding bachelor’s degrees, 9.3% with associates degrees, 1.5% with professional degrees, and 1.9% with doctorates. In 1940, when the US Census Bureau began collecting education data, only 4.6% of adults held bachelor’s degrees.
PRO
- College graduates make more money.
- Jobs increasingly require college degrees.
- College graduates have more and better employment opportunities.
- College graduates are more likely to have health insurance and retirement plans.
- Young adults learn interpersonal skills in college.
- College graduates are healthier and live longer.
- College graduates have lower poverty rates.
- The children of college graduates are healthier and more prepared for school.
- College graduates are more productive as members of society.
- College graduates attract higher-paying employers to their communities.
- Learning is always worthwhile.
- College allows students to explore career options.
- People who do not go to college are more likely to be unemployed and, therefore, place undue financial strain on society, making a college degree worth it to taxpayers.
- Colleges provide networking value.
- College education has a high return as an investment.
- College exposes students to diverse people and ideas.
- Earning a college degree is a major life achievement.
CON
- Student loan debt is crippling for college graduates.
- Student loan debt often forces college graduates to live with their parents and delay marriage, financial independence, and other adult milestones.
- Many college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require college degrees.
- Many recent college graduates are un- or underemployed.
- Many people succeed without college degrees.
- Many students do not graduate and waste their own and their government’s money.
- Student debt overwhelms many seniors.
- Learning a trade profession is a better option than college for many young adults.
- College degrees do not guarantee learning or job preparation.
- Student debt could cause another financial crisis.
- Tuition has risen quicker than income, making college unaffordable for many.
- Too many students earning degrees has diluted the value of a bachelor’s degree.
- The total cost of going to college also includes the cost of missing opportunities to make money at a job.
- A college degree is no guarantee of workplace benefits.
- Student loan debt may not be forgiven in bankruptcy and may not have the same borrower protections as other consumer debt.
- Colleges may be indoctrinating students instead of educating them.
- College stress can lead to health problems and other negative consequences.
This article was published on January 30, 2020, at Britannica’s ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source.