The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article on Losing Faith in College Education

A majority of Americans don't think a college degree is worth the cost, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, a new low in confidence in what has long been a hallmark of the American dream.  

Skepticism is strongest among people ages 18-34, and people with college degrees are among those whose opinions have soured the most, portending a profound shift for higher education in the years ahead. 

"These findings are indeed sobering for all of us in higher education, and in some ways, a wake-up call," said Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which counts more than 1,700 institutions of higher education as members. "We need to do a better job at storytelling, but we need to improve our practice, that seems to me to be the only recipe I know of regaining public confidence."

Dr. Mitchell cited student debt, which has reached $1.7 trillion, and the 60% graduation rate at four-year colleges as two of the biggest problems undermining confidence in the sector.