--- title: Here's the Kind of College That Most Americans Think Is Actually Worth the Money description: In a new poll, most Americans say they're confident a two-year college degree is worth the money, versus just 18% for four-year colleges. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. In his time at Money, Pete has covered everything from car buying to credit cards to the housing market. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 601 covers: - Education - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Education - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2024-07-09T20:06:59.000Z' modified: '2024-07-09T20:06:59.000Z' section: Education tags: - News word_count: 445 canonical: https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo collage depicting positive college costs](https://img.money.com/2024/07/News-college-America-thinks-most-worth.jpg?crop=0px%2C217px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85) Most Americans say two-year colleges provide an education worth the cost, but just a fraction of the public is sold on the value of a four-year school. Only 18% of respondents in a [new Gallup poll](https://news.gallup.com/poll/646841/americans-confident-two-year-schools.aspx) said they have at least “quite a lot” of confidence that the education at four-year universities is worth the money, while 55% said they have that confidence for two-year colleges. There was an even bigger gap when survey respondents were asked about affordability. The poll found that 58% of people have a high amount of confidence in the ability of two-year colleges to provide an affordable education, but that drops to 11% for four-year universities. “The percentage of Americans with very little confidence in higher education is at an all-time high,” Gallup researchers said in a report. “Lower confidence ratings in four-year institutions and concerns about the cost and value of the degrees they provide may partially explain these declining ratings.” ## Cover your college expenses with a Student Loan, so you can focus solely on your grades and education. ### With a Student Loan from College Ave, you can worry less about tuition and devote your energy to mapping out your future. Click on your state and take the first step today. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/u3e72cf8ee70?ap_referrer=%2Ftwo-year-college-worth-the-money%2F) The Gallup report adds to a large volume of research showing Americans’ [deep skepticism](https://money.com/is-college-worth-the-money-2024/) in the value of college education. However, the research also shows that the public has more favorable views toward higher education when the time commitment and [costs are lower](https://money.com/how-to-pay-for-college/). Community colleges, many of which offer free tuition, have also been [gaining enrollment](https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/) in the past year. According to [College Board research](https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Trends%20Report%202023%20Updated.pdf), the cost of a public two-year college for in-district students is much less than in-state costs at public four-year universities. For the 2023-2024 year, the average cost (tuition, fees, housing and food) after grant aid was $9,640 at two-year colleges versus $15,500 at four-year public schools. Out-of-state costs at four-year colleges and private colleges are far more expensive than either option. ## Is college worth the money? Given American colleges’ mediocre graduation rates and the national issue of [student debt](https://money.com/student-debt-statistics/), it’s easy to see where the concern about college value comes from. But despite the public’s negative perception, economic research shows that a four-year degree usually leads to better career outcomes and higher wages, justifying the price tag. The typical recent college graduate earned $60,000 in 2023, which compares to $36,000 for high school graduates, according to the [New York Federal Reserve](https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:wages). Some universities perform much better than others when it comes to helping students graduate into high-paying roles at an affordable cost. Money’s 2024 [Best Colleges](https://money.com/best-colleges/) ratings, released last month, score 745 schools on factors including graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid and alumni salaries to help students make informed choices. ## Compare Student Loan companies to find the right fit ### Cover up to 100% of your college costs ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/24903/medium_b6089714-807b-4b5a-88f9-defb35d74711.png) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/3aeebec20ae7?bidid=4086470061&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=668003957&ptoken=10430cf15cd046abfcb89dc42a97886f) ### Apply online in minutes ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/29957/medium_1bf2c50c-d2fe-4492-bad2-f4bca2475954.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/fe9452210ca2?bidid=4086470059&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=668003957&ptoken=1ba7ade592ef91e7b6512daa78d55b42) ### No fees ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38573/medium_5a7ddb75-a315-44cf-8526-1594057ec7d6.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/a858dcb7abbb?bidid=4086470064&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=668003957&ptoken=4d0fd993c2fc670d2a8b4dc248ed6598) ### Provides customized private loan options for students ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38575/medium_3b0e137f-8ec1-4f32-a340-85efa53e0aab.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/b3e898d582b7?bidid=4086470062&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=668003957&ptoken=551125e6d3d75bbfb7820f8ec74654b8) ### Rates starting at 2.99% ![View Rates](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38576/medium_d3a42618-1276-44ce-95cf-561a8f89efa8.webp) Our Partner [View Rates](https://money.com/go/c4651a3c4995?bidid=4086470066&pmeta=p129-c550-u24512&ptid=668003957&ptoken=aad7ca2df037d98d16ab475c0a1ac6ff) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/24903/medium_b6089714-807b-4b5a-88f9-defb35d74711.png) Reach new academic heights with College Ave [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/y61180a308af?ap_referrer=%2Ftwo-year-college-worth-the-money%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Education", "item": "https://money.com/education/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Community College", "item": "https://money.com/community-college/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Here's the Kind of College That Most Americans Think Is Actually Worth the Money" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/", "name": "Here's the Kind of College That Most Americans Think Is Actually Worth the Money", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2024-07-09T20:06:59.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/two-year-college-worth-the-money/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-07-09T20:06:59.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Here's the Kind of College That Most Americans Think Is Actually Worth the Money", "articleSection": "Education", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2024/07/News-college-America-thinks-most-worth.jpg?crop=0px%2C217px%2C2880px%2C1620px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "News-college-America-thinks-most-worth" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter. 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