For years now, politicians and commentators have bemoaned the cost of higher education. The drumbeat is constant: college costs too much. But before we repeat that line again, we should ask a more basic question.
What does it even mean to say something “costs too much”?
Cost, by itself, tells us almost nothing. Cost only becomes meaningful when it is compared to value—and value is determined by whether something actually delivers what you need, not just what you want.
Cost is never the whole story.
Imagine you go to an auto dealer and you see a car priced at $1,000. It has a beautiful interior, a touch screen, and a fully functional satellite radio. At first glance you might think, What a bargain.
But then you discover it has no engine.
Suddenly, $1,000 is not cheap. It’s outrageously expensive—because the thing you came for was not a radio. It was transportation. You weren’t buying metal and plastic. You were buying the ability to move through life.
That is the core lesson: cost is relative. It can only be evaluated against the value received. And value is determined by the degree to which something satisfies your needs and fulfills your wants.
The mistake we often make about college
We talk about college as if the primary product is a diploma. But very few students go to college because they love framed paper. They go because they want what the diploma is supposed to represent: preparation, opportunity, competence, and a pathway into a meaningful career.
In other words, the “engine” is not the diploma.
The engine is the education that actually equips the student for life and work.
So when we ask whether college is “too expensive,” we should not start with tuition. We should start with outcomes.
A simple comparison
Let’s use a hypothetical example.
Alpha College costs $25,000 for four years.
Beta College costs $125,000 for four years.
Both hand a student a diploma.
So which one is the better choice?
You cannot answer that question by looking at price alone. You can only answer it by looking at return on investment—and ROI is not only financial. It’s also time, clarity, direction, and readiness to succeed.
Now imagine this:
At Alpha College, only 20% of graduates find jobs in their field. When questioned, the college says, “It’s not our job to ensure employment. Our job is to provide a degree.”
At Beta College, 95% of graduates find jobs in their chosen career path. Many land in the upper tier of pay for their field. When questioned, the college says, “Students didn’t come here for a diploma. They came here to prepare for a life.”
Now ask yourself: which college “costs too much”?
If the student’s need is a real career pathway, Alpha may be the cheaper price but the more expensive mistake. Beta may cost more up front, but it actually delivers the engine.
And when people object to the extra $100,000, they often miss the scale of a working life. Spread that difference across 50 years, it’s about $2,000 per year—less than many people spend on a phone plan, a streaming bundle, or eating out. If that investment produces a dramatically stronger career outcome, it may be the better value by far.
The questions students should be taught to ask
When a student considers a college, the primary questions should not revolve around student life, luxury amenities, or marketing promises. Those things may be pleasant, but they are not the engine.
A student should be asking:
What do graduates actually do after they leave here?
How many find work in their field within 6–12 months?
What are the typical starting salaries and mid-career salaries?
What support systems exist for internships, placement, and career readiness?
What percentage of students finish on time?
How much debt do graduates carry, and what does that debt look like relative to expected income?
- How can they PROVE that what they answer is true?
In other words: Where is the engine?
The real issue is not cost—it is value. It is the return the student receives on their educational experience. Colleges should be required to guarantee they will provide what the student NEEDS!
Today, I believe we do have a major value deficit in higher education. Many programs do not deliver what students truly need: readiness for meaningful work, financial stability, and a life pathway that doesn’t collapse under debt.
And that value deficit can come from multiple sources:
It may be poor stewardship of funds.
It may reflect misaligned priorities, with wants funded more than needs.
It may be a lack of oversight and accountability.
It maybe the insertion of federal funds such that the college nor the student see it as an investment.
Or it may be a mismatch between what colleges provide and what the modern economy requires.
The point is this: shouting “college is too expensive” is a lazy conclusion. It’s a slogan, not an analysis.
Why this matters more than we admit
Higher education isn’t just a personal decision. It shapes the strength of the workforce, the resilience of families, and the long-term stability of the country. In that sense, this is not merely an education issue.
It’s a national security issue.
A nation that mismanages the development of its people pays for it later—in productivity, in innovation, in economic strength, and in social stability.
So instead of repeating simplistic arguments, we should treat this as the serious matter it is. We should demand transparent outcomes, measurable accountability, and honest evaluation of what colleges are actually delivering.
Because the question isn’t whether college costs money.
The question is whether it delivers value.
Whether it delivers the “engine” that insure the student can receive a return on that investment.