College Costs More, Delivers Less, and Leaves Too Many Graduates Unemployed

A new Bloomberg report puts a hard number on something families already feel in their gut. Americans with four-year degrees now make up 25.3 percent of all unemployed workers. That is the highest share on record. When one in four unemployed Americans holds a bachelor’s degree, the system is not working.

People say “college is a scam” for a reason. It is not because they oppose education. It is because colleges have spent years drifting away from their mission while driving up the price. Families see hostile campus politics, DEI bureaucracies, and courses that don’t prepare students for real jobs. They also see tuition rising far faster than wages. Students borrow tens of thousands of dollars, graduate into a weak job market, and hope their diploma pays off someday. Too often it does not.

This is a cost of living issue. When a traditional degree no longer guarantees a foothold in the workforce, families pay more and get less. Washington keeps pouring subsidies into the same broken model, which only drives prices higher. That leaves young workers stranded between soaring tuition and disappointing job prospects.

There is a better path. The economy needs more skilled trades, more contractors, more self-employed plumbers and electricians, and more room for apprenticeships that lead directly to good jobs. These are careers that give people real earning power without decades of debt. Policymakers should make it easier to choose these routes by clearing out regulatory barriers, expanding skills-based hiring, and supporting training programs that match actual labor demand.

College will always work for some students. But today’s record-high unemployment among degree-holders proves that it is no longer the automatic ticket to stability. Families deserve choices that are affordable, practical, and focused on real opportunity. The sooner Washington understands that, the better off young workers will be.