Nearly one in four college graduates wish they had either pursued a different educational path, like community college or an apprenticeship, or skipped college altogether, according to a new USA TODAY Blueprint Loans report. A slightly higher number, 31 percent, say they wish they had taken a gap year before entering higher education; that proportion is even higher among Gen Z grads, at 47 percent.
The report, which focused on college’s value, was based on the results of a survey of 1,000 Americans with a college degree and 1,000 who do not have a degree. Over all, about three-quarters of respondents with a graduate degree say they do not regret attending college, and 59 percent of those with an associate or bachelor’s degree say the same thing.
Cost is a different matter, however; across all types of degrees, 59 percent of respondents say their student loan investment was worth the cost. Arts and humanities majors, perhaps surprisingly, were most likely to say their degree was worth the cost, with 68 percent saying so.
A significant number of respondents who have a degree have doubts that higher education was necessary for their careers; 46 percent say they could have gotten their current job without a degree.
Among respondents who did not attend college, the most common reason was because of financial constraints.
