The ‘college doesn't matter’ meme

The meme that ‘It doesn't matter whether you go to college’ is commonplace among sceptics of the value of widening participation in higher education. It is predicted by historian Peter Turchin (2023) that ‘elite over-production’ of degrees may cause future social and political instability, because there are not enough high-status positions to satisfy graduate demand. The Wall Street Journal reported (Adamy, 2023): ‘An overwhelming share of Americans aren't confident their children's lives will be better than their own, according to a to a … poll that shows growing scepticism about the value of a college degree and record low levels of overall happiness.’ The abolition of free tuition in many jurisdictions, leading graduates to incur massive debt from student loans, has combined with spiralling mortgage costs, to create a bleak future for many graduates and a challenge to intergenerational justice. Jokes about BA graduates working in fast-food outlets abound and reinforce prejudice against studying the humanities, which, according to US data, is in sharp decline (Heller, 2023).

The financialisation of higher education and the resulting marketisation of degrees, as costly commodities out of the reach of many, has fed this cultural scepticism. It is a long way from the original high-minded humanist mission, advocated by philosopher and founder of the Humboldt University in Berlin, Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), challenging the university to bring enlightenment to the world. Von Humboldt believed that higher education enabled students to become autonomous individuals and citizens, anticipating democratic society. Undoubtedly, no amount of education can be a substitute for good social skills and common sense. Yet, Socrates’ (470–399 bce) powerful statement ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’ resonates down the millennia as part of his monumental intellectual legacy to Western humanism.

A primary degree offers a foundation for self-improvement, personal empowerment, intellectual awakening and human flourishing. Education is, as Nelson Mandela (1995: 194) asserted, ‘the great engine of human development’. It also brings enhanced self-esteem, career advancement and greater knowledge and social equity. These are the intangible benefits of higher education.