January 5, 2026
Caps, Gowns, and Comment Clowns
The College Backlash Is a Mirage
Polls say college is dead; commenters say it’s complicated — cue the credential wars
TLDR: Article says college still pays: more degrees, strong wage boost, and net tuition down with aid. Comments explode over immigration inflating numbers, credential mills, and schools nudging kids from trades, turning the debate into “college still worth it” versus “overpriced paper chase.”
Polls scream “college is over,” but the article insists the backlash is a mirage: degrees are up, the pay gap is big, and net tuition is down after aid. The comments? Pure chaos. techblueberry asked the room: is there even a real alternative for white‑collar folks? Meanwhile guywithahat lamented that regret hits after graduation, as schools still funnel kids away from trades and into lecture halls.
Then the immigration angle detonated: lotsofpulp wondered if rising enrollment is padded by foreign students — “U.S. Nonresident Enrollment… up 36.8%” — linking data. observationist brought the fire, blasting “degree mills,” “lower standards,” and “government‑sanctioned predatory debt,” sparking a pile‑on about whether college teaches anything beyond credential collecting. Cue the archive link hero here, because the paywall had commenters yelling “show me the receipts.”
Thread humor went hard: memes about the “sticker price vs secret menu” of tuition, and riffs like “only the 1% pays menu price” when aid kicks in. The big fight: is the wage premium real for most people or just for the already advantaged? The room split between “college still pays” and “cap‑and‑gown cosplay,” but everyone agreed the pressure to go is relentless and the alternatives are murky.
Key Points
- •Polls show declining perceived value of college, but enrollment and degree attainment continue to rise.
- •Bachelor’s degree holders earn about 70% more than comparable high-school graduates; the premium is projected at 76% by 2042.
- •Net tuition at public four-year colleges has fallen over 20% since 2015; private prices are down ~12% after inflation.
- •Average college graduates net about $8,000 more annually than high-school graduates even after student-debt payments.
- •Few families pay full sticker price; financial aid reduces costs, but many adults misunderstand college pricing.