In addition to concerns about financial stability and enrollment numbers, many leaders in higher education are increasingly worried about career and professional outcomes for students after they receive their degrees.
Such worries are well-placed:
A recent NBC News poll found that two-thirds of registered voters believe a four-year degree isn’t worth the cost to acquire it. Respondents agreed a college education is “not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off.”
In 2025, we saw the unemployment rate of recent college graduates exceed the unemployment rate for the general population—a sign of a changing job market and arguable evidence of a disconnect between the things students learn in college and skills employer seek.
Meanwhile, Pew Research finds that 70 percent of Americans say higher education is headed in the wrong direction, a view that’s at least partially tied to growing doubts about the cost/value of a college degree.
With this backdrop, it’s not unreasonable to believe that colleges and universities will soon be asked, if not required, to provide more tangible proof that the lifetime value of the education they provide is worth the investment. Such proof will need to go beyond the high-level job placement statistics and alumni success stories that many institutions now provide prospective students and their parents.
In my view, higher education now sits at a kind of crossroads—where leaders have a choice to become part of what I call a transparency revolution or to continue along the traditional path that has brought doubts about the value of a college education to their doorsteps.
To be sure, the choice will be difficult for some schools. I’m specifically thinking of a large, highly regarded public university in the Midwest where the dean in charge of student success believes students, not the school itself, is responsible for student outcomes.
On the other end of the spectrum, you have leaders like the president of Albright College, who’s refocusing degree programs and cutting tenured faculty to ensure the education and skill-building students receive has more appeal and relevance for today’s job market.
This transparency revolution shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s what happens to mature businesses and industries when new technologies unlock new data and insights that ultimately transform how goods and services are delivered.
Think of your last vehicle purchase. Chances are, you knew more about the car and price than the salesperson—all because of the technologies and tools that helped you discover the information you need for yourself.
Such transparency-enabled self-discovery is coming to higher education. I can foresee a time when prospective students and parents will know, with much more confidence and precision, which degree at which school gives them the greatest return on their investment.
In my view, it’s not a question of if such transparency and self-discovery will happen, it’s a question of when and how fast. And, if the experiences of other industries are any indication, it’ll probably happen faster than many expect.