Watch any YouTube video in which Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk – as just one example – is debating college students, and the subject will eventually turn to the relevance of college in what can only be described as uncertain times. Indeed, from the outside looking in, the proliferation of factors such as on-campus activism and protesting, political instability and upheaval, campus climate and the legal and administrative context have definite, verifiable influence on college students in 2025. As college campus protests explode season to season depending on the hot topic of the moment, it must be understood that these protests are influenced by a complex interplay of components, notably social and political issues. What’s more, the open nature of campuses, diverse student populations and the potential for alignment with external organizations all contribute to the kind of activity we’ve seen on the news over the past few years.
Into this foray comes the question of college’s relevance in 2025 and beyond, taking into consideration not only the aforementioned factors but also the burgeoning trend of acquiring non-traditional degrees in “questionable” subjects. From Bagpiping and Bakery Science to Gender Studies and Taylor Swift – you didn’t read that wrong – these courses and degrees do, in fact, exist, and as such need to be considered in the context of the university concept in 2025 and beyond.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at the relevance of college education in a rapidly-changing world, analyzing the landscape of higher education and the job market.
To start with, it should be understood that higher education stands at a critical juncture, facing a confluence of challenging trends that demand innovative thought patterns from marketers and recruiters. Still, a growing narrative has begun questioning the intrinsic value and return-on-investment a traditional four-year degree yields, egged-on by concerns over student debt, cost and the perceived readiness of graduates for the workforce.
Going Over the Enrollment Cliff?
Compounding the perceived shift in the graduate marketplace is the so-called “enrollment cliff” – a reference to a demographic reality stemming from declining birth rates in the wake of the 2008 recession. This, in turn, translates into a significantly reduced pool of traditional-aged high school graduates for the remainder of the decade, and this means institutions are now competing more fiercely than ever for a shrinking share of prospective students.
At the same time, the landscape of influencing young minds that this “enrollment cliff” sits on has transformed dramatically; today’s teens are immersed up to their eyeballs in a digitally-saturated world, receiving an unprecedented volume of messages on a daily basis. You don’t even need to look back five years to see how this has changed dramatically – their attention is nothing short of fragmented, and their influences are dispersed among everything from peer networks and social media trends to a complex ecosystem of micro and macro-influencers, all of whom overshadow traditional institutional messaging or authority figures.
And therein lies the necessity for a strategic pivot: Reaching students and their families demands a much longer communication landing strip. What do we mean by that? Influencing decisions and shaping perceptions about higher education – and specific institutions – must begin far earlier to align with their ever-evolving decision-making and information-gathering timelines.
From the Perspective of Political – and Other – Agendas
There are many Americans who now have little faith in the value of a college degree, instead seeing a university environment as a place where political agendas are pushed and where students are not taught the skills they need to succeed in life. Compounding this issue is the fact that many of them are put on a path to a lifetime of oppressive debt; in fact, a Gallup survey found that only about a third (that’s 36-percent) of Americans said they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, while 32-percent said they had little or no confidence.
These numbers are significantly lower than about a decade ago, when 57-percent reported having a great deal or quite a lot of confidence and only 10-percent said they had little or none.
Here’s the important part about these numbers, though: For those who reported having very little or no confidence, 41-percent referred to colleges being “too liberal” or trying to “indoctrinate” or “brainwash” students. Some 37-percent were critical of colleges not teaching relevant skills or graduates not being able to find employment, while 23-percent pointed out concerns regarding cost, including the mounting debt that follows those who can’t afford to pursue a degree without taking out student loans.
In keeping with the theme of this section, one point must be made clear: Some of the declining faith in higher education stems from universities becoming flashpoints in the nation’s culture wars. In recent times, some feel that, as a prime example, Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas has exposed some of the core deficiencies of today’s elite higher education institutions, and that rather than creating productive, public conversation around core identity and ideological issues, they have cultivated greater polarization.
Case in point – colleges across the country were recently roiled by protests against the aforementioned war, leaving universities struggling to grapple with how to balance protection from discrimination with free speech rights, amid rises in Islamophobia and antisemitism on campuses.
The Confidence Disconnect
Professors across the U.S. have found it “striking” that confidence in higher education had declined, coupled with the fact that it’s declined in an era when the economic value of a college degree remains high.
Here’s what that means:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with a bachelor’s degree earn about 65-percent more per week than those possessing a high school diploma. Further, unemployment rates among high school graduates are nearly twice as high as those who boast a college degree. And, despite the decreased confidence in higher education, college enrollment numbers continue to rise each year – the bottom line here is that if people are increasingly unhappy with what higher education brings, they are not showing it in their actions. This pattern further suggests that unhappiness with college seems to be a symbolic position, and perhaps not a deeply-held one.
Into the Future: A Summary
In 2025 and beyond, higher education is poised to undergo significant shifts, and this will include changes in enrollment patterns, the rise of new learning models and an increased focus on career relevance. Meanwhile, expected to impact traditional college-age populations are declining birth rates, while the evolving job market and changing student preferences continue driving interest in vocational training and community college education.
Watch any YouTube video in which Turning Point USA founder and president Charlie Kirk – as just one example – is debating college students, and the subject will eventually turn to the relevance of college in what can only be described as uncertain times. Indeed, from the outside looking in, the proliferation of factors such as on-campus activism and protesting, political instability and upheaval, campus climate and the legal and administrative context have definite, verifiable influence on college students in 2025. As college campus protests explode season to season depending on the hot topic of the moment, it must be understood that these protests are influenced by a complex interplay of components, notably social and political issues. What’s more, the open nature of campuses, diverse student populations and the potential for alignment with external organizations all contribute to the kind of activity we’ve seen on the news over the past few years.
Into this foray comes the question of college’s relevance in 2025 and beyond, taking into consideration not only the aforementioned factors but also the burgeoning trend of acquiring non-traditional degrees in “questionable” subjects. From Bagpiping and Bakery Science to Gender Studies and Taylor Swift – you didn’t read that wrong – these courses and degrees do, in fact, exist, and as such need to be considered in the context of the university concept in 2025 and beyond.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at the relevance of college education in a rapidly-changing world, analyzing the landscape of higher education and the job market.
To start with, it should be understood that higher education stands at a critical juncture, facing a confluence of challenging trends that demand innovative thought patterns from marketers and recruiters. Still, a growing narrative has begun questioning the intrinsic value and return-on-investment a traditional four-year degree yields, egged-on by concerns over student debt, cost and the perceived readiness of graduates for the workforce.
Going Over the Enrollment Cliff?
Compounding the perceived shift in the graduate marketplace is the so-called “enrollment cliff” – a reference to a demographic reality stemming from declining birth rates in the wake of the 2008 recession. This, in turn, translates into a significantly reduced pool of traditional-aged high school graduates for the remainder of the decade, and this means institutions are now competing more fiercely than ever for a shrinking share of prospective students.
At the same time, the landscape of influencing young minds that this “enrollment cliff” sits on has transformed dramatically; today’s teens are immersed up to their eyeballs in a digitally-saturated world, receiving an unprecedented volume of messages on a daily basis. You don’t even need to look back five years to see how this has changed dramatically – their attention is nothing short of fragmented, and their influences are dispersed among everything from peer networks and social media trends to a complex ecosystem of micro and macro-influencers, all of whom overshadow traditional institutional messaging or authority figures.
And therein lies the necessity for a strategic pivot: Reaching students and their families demands a much longer communication landing strip. What do we mean by that? Influencing decisions and shaping perceptions about higher education – and specific institutions – must begin far earlier to align with their ever-evolving decision-making and information-gathering timelines.
From the Perspective of Political – and Other – Agendas
There are many Americans who now have little faith in the value of a college degree, instead seeing a university environment as a place where political agendas are pushed and where students are not taught the skills they need to succeed in life. Compounding this issue is the fact that many of them are put on a path to a lifetime of oppressive debt; in fact, a Gallup survey found that only about a third (that’s 36-percent) of Americans said they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, while 32-percent said they had little or no confidence.
These numbers are significantly lower than about a decade ago, when 57-percent reported having a great deal or quite a lot of confidence and only 10-percent said they had little or none.
Here’s the important part about these numbers, though: For those who reported having very little or no confidence, 41-percent referred to colleges being “too liberal” or trying to “indoctrinate” or “brainwash” students. Some 37-percent were critical of colleges not teaching relevant skills or graduates not being able to find employment, while 23-percent pointed out concerns regarding cost, including the mounting debt that follows those who can’t afford to pursue a degree without taking out student loans.
In keeping with the theme of this section, one point must be made clear: Some of the declining faith in higher education stems from universities becoming flashpoints in the nation’s culture wars. In recent times, some feel that, as a prime example, Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas has exposed some of the core deficiencies of today’s elite higher education institutions, and that rather than creating productive, public conversation around core identity and ideological issues, they have cultivated greater polarization.
Case in point – colleges across the country were recently roiled by protests against the aforementioned war, leaving universities struggling to grapple with how to balance protection from discrimination with free speech rights, amid rises in Islamophobia and antisemitism on campuses.
The Confidence Disconnect
Professors across the U.S. have found it “striking” that confidence in higher education had declined, coupled with the fact that it’s declined in an era when the economic value of a college degree remains high.
Here’s what that means:
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with a bachelor’s degree earn about 65-percent more per week than those possessing a high school diploma. Further, unemployment rates among high school graduates are nearly twice as high as those who boast a college degree. And, despite the decreased confidence in higher education, college enrollment numbers continue to rise each year – the bottom line here is that if people are increasingly unhappy with what higher education brings, they are not showing it in their actions. This pattern further suggests that unhappiness with college seems to be a symbolic position, and perhaps not a deeply-held one.
Into the Future: A Summary
In 2025 and beyond, higher education is poised to undergo significant shifts, and this will include changes in enrollment patterns, the rise of new learning models and an increased focus on career relevance. Meanwhile, expected to impact traditional college-age populations are declining birth rates, while the evolving job market and changing student preferences continue driving interest in vocational training and community college education.
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