College graduates expect lower return on their investment

More than half of the US adults believe that they are not getting enough returns on their investment on degrees, according to a study.

Education technology company Greenwood Hall surveyed more than 2,000 adults – 900 of whom were college graduates – showing that more than half of graduates say those leaving college with a degree now will see a lower return on their education investment than those 10 to 15 years ago.

"A big part of it is perception," says John Hall, CEO of Greenwood Hall. "At the same time, I think there is absolutely some reality to it in that you have a high number of students that graduate and aren't in positions that they really need a degree for in the first place."

Research has shown college graduates on average make $1 million more in their lifetimes than those without a college education.

The idea that there’s not a significant return on investment I think is wrong," Destler says. "If you look at the relative earnings over anyone’s lifetime, again you can make the case quite easily that even if you have to take on some debt, you’ll make it up in your lifetime."