大学学位成本与价值洞察报告

Insights on Cost andValue of a College Degree C O P Y R I G H T S TA N D A R D S This document contains proprietary research, copyrighted and trademarked materials of Gallup,Inc. Accordingly, international and domestic laws and penalties guaranteeing patent, copyright,trademark and trade secret protection safeguard the ideas, concepts and recommendations relatedwithin this document. The materials contained in this document and/or the document itself may be downloaded and/orcopied provided that all copies retain the copyright, trademark and any other proprietary noticescontained on the materials and/or document. No changes may be made to this document withoutthe express written permission of Gallup, Inc. Any reference whatsoever to this document, in whole or in part, on any webpage must provide a linkback to the original document in its entirety. Except as expressly provided herein, the transmissionof this material shall not be construed to grant a license of any type under any patents, copyright ortrademarks owned or controlled by Gallup, Inc. Gallup®is a trademark of Gallup, Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are property of theirrespective owners. Table of Contents 2Executive Summary4Detailed Findings16Implications17Methodology Executive Summary Since 2020, Lumina Foundation and Gallup have partnered to conduct theLumina Foundation-Gallup State of Higher Education study, a research effortdesigned to quantify the experiences and attitudes of U.S. adults who donot have a college degree. The findings shed light on the challenges theseadults face in completing or enrolling in a degree, certificate or certificationprogram and provide administrators and policymakers with the insights theyneed to help current and prospective students overcome these barriers. One of the most common problems critics of higher education point to is the risingcost of tuition, particularly at four-year universities. On average, the cost of a bachelor’sdegree tuition at a public institution is just under $10,000 per year; at private, not-for-profituniversities, the annual cost of tuition averages just under $41,000. The State of HigherEducation data reveal that current and prospective students question the fairness of thesecosts and that cost is one of the most pervasive barriers to pursuing higher education. However, while the public believes the cost of a college degree is too high or unfair, mostAmericans still see value in having a degree. The 2025 State of Higher Education surveyfinds that most adults without a college degree believe higher education is valuable,particularly for career success. Disentangling the seeming paradox of cost versus value is an important step in helpingcolleges and universities understand Americans’ perceptions of — and distinctionsbetween — these concepts and ultimately restoring public confidence in college degrees. Key findings from this year’s survey include: More than half of adults without a college degree say bachelor’s degrees(70%) and associate degrees (55%)are “extremely” or “very” valuable.Three-quarters of these adults say at least one college degree is valuable. Just 18% of U.S. adults without a college degree believethe cost four-yearcolleges charge for tuition is fair, while 40% say the same of two-yearcolleges. However, 42% of current bachelor’s degree students and 61% ofassociate degree students believetheir school is doing an “excellent” or“good” job of keeping costs down. While most current students say the investment they are making in collegeis worth it, this is also true of those who have never enrolled: 63% ofadultswho have never pursued a college degree believe investing in a bachelor’sdegree would be worth it for them, and 72% say the same of an associatedegree. Additionally, 58% of adults without a degree think investment in collegepays off within five years, and 86% believe it pays off within 10 years. Career outcomes are closely tied to students’ perceptions of programquality and value: 78% of college students who saythe quality of theirprogram overall is “excellent”also saytheir courses are “very well aligned”with post-graduation jobs. Conversely, less than half of students who saythe quality of their program is “very good,” “good,” “fair” or “poor” believetheir program is very well aligned with their career goals. Detailed Findings Majority of U.S. adults without a degree believe a collegeeducation is valuable. Despiterecent declines in confidence in higher education, majorities ofnon-degree-holding adults believe associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees are“extremely” or “very” valuable. However, they are more likely to say that bachelor’s degrees(70%) are extremely or very valuable than to say the same of associate degrees (55%). C H A R T 1 Among adults without a college degree Across non-degree-holding adults of all ages, races and political affiliations, between 73%and 87% say at least one degree is extremely or very valuable. Moreover, whi