Why College is so Expensive 

*Laughs in Europe*

"college is not that expensive" tfw people in other 1st world countries don't pay 1/10 of that... education should be free, educated people will make better decisions for the country. There's a reason why trump makes his speeches the way he makes; simple keywords that will have an impact on people, while not saying anything useful at all. He's targeting people without a college degree, and it is working.

The most frustrating part of this video is the definition of 'millennial.' The oldest 'millennials' could literally be parents to the youngest 'millennials.'

So basically, this can be boiled down to, in some countries, education is an infrastructure, and in the good ol' US of A, it's an industry.

The true problem is students think ANY college degree is better than no degree, which is definitely not the case.

So your just going to ignore the fact that all this wastefulness was caused by students loans. if students couldn’t give all that money up front, colleges that charged it wouldn’t be able to stay in business, so less money would be wasted on administration and decorative architecture.

telling everyone that they NEED to go to college is precisely what causes college to become so expensive.

I hate being called a millennial. Edit: I’m not even a millennial I’m 18 lol, guess my 15 year old self didn’t realize that

dont forget rich daddies "donating" buildings

I went to college, it didn't work out and now I'm making a comfortable amount as a chef with no degree. Remember, sometimes a 4-year university isn't for everyone, and if that is the case for you then try a community college or a trade. Trades can be very high paying and don't require all of the four-year common core classes. I do plan on going to culinary school after making a bit more to pay for it, but for now I am content where I am.

Tfw europe and its free

[Laughs in European]

Spend $40,000 a year getting a Private Liberal Arts degree or spend $10,000 a getting a Public University Engineering degree and get paid 5x.... hmmm

Europe > USA

I love your vids, but this one is severely flawed. People with degrees make a lot more than people without, but we have to remember, correlation =/= causation. People from good backgrounds and good parenting are far more likely to finish college. People from poor backgrounds with bad parenting are far more likely to not finish college. What this means is that the two groups of people (college vs high school graduates) are totally different pools of humans. The college degree is a factor, but their upbringings and environments are also hugely different.

Also you completely LEFT OUT the Bennett Hypothesis which states that student loans have been inflating the cost of tuition. Basically it's like printing money that can only be applied to university. Sure enough, colleges continue raising their prices because thanks to loans, people don't stop paying.

In canada it's much much cheaper for the same quality of education.

This video is pretty "US college apologist"; noone thinks that their money disappears into a vacuum. They already know that it's going towards costs. The unjustified nature of the costs are the common complaints. Saying "but it's an investment!" is just a trivial cop out in a world where a majority of students are not STEM and the value of education isn't measured in dollar signs.

Go to college and get a valuable gender studies diploma

I really like the channel but I have a pretty big issue with the way this subject is presented. I feel like a lot of stuff is glossed over or completely omitted in the calculations of not only what school costs but also what the total revenue of the schools involved is, what the government's contribution is, the final cost to students with fees and fines and tax credits and interest on loans. It also ignores things like alumni donations, which can include long term and rather huge funds that take a large cash donation, invest it, and funnel the profits yearly to the school in the form of grants, scholarships, and even yearly cash donations. It doesn't account for how many students are paid for directly by scholarships (though it does mention an average donation) which increases the student count and in a roundabout way increases costs to the student paying out of pocket. It doesn't talk about revenue generated by non-educational programs and how they affect the school. It doesn't talk about the fact that a lot of schools will offer free classes to alumni so they can return to take additional courses at the school over and above their degree free of charge and it doesn't seem to consider that government may be contributing less per student to schools but if there are so many more students than government may in fact be contributing more overall than it has in the past because 3% of 1000 is less than 2% of 4,000. Additionally while the 500k claim that you will lose may be statistically true it does not (incorrectly I feel) point out that many trade jobs like plumbers, electricians, mechanics, and so on can in fact go on to make a lot more than the average college graduate and that when choosing to either go to college or get educated in a trade one should also consider job security because as a society we have historically always needed people to fix cars and unclog toilets but many college education requiring jobs have disappeared through globalization and they often require much more specialization than trade jobs do. So even if there is a housing bust and you can't seem to find work in construction if you are handy with tools you will most likely be able to transition to other work that also uses tools where as the guy with the Art History degree is probably not going to do as well when all of the sudden museum attendace plummets and the art economy collapses. In short I'm subbed to this channel and I usually really like the vids but this one feel sort of lazy and sloppy. I don't mean that in an offensive way. No one is perfect. I just feel like the omitted info paints an incorrect picture of the subject at hand which isn't super great for anyone watching this informationally.

In Switzerland a semester at University costs about 750-800 Francs, roughly the same in Dollars

Ahem, many buildings are donated by Alumni to get their name live on forever.

I live in Denmark, we get paid up to 800$ for just going to college.

"Go to college, kids." This quote didn't age well, and it's going to age even worse in the future.

I have to disagree and say that most colleges charge too much by taking advantage of the mindset that a college degree will get you a high paying job. America also has a bad mentality of letting people take whatever the hell they want vs putting up a list of professional jobs that are in short demand. Let me explain this. America needs more doctors, hence why we have a ton of people from India and China as your doctor. American needs more computer programers, hence why you have a ton of people from India and China. America needs...you get the point right? Other people have the right idea by filling in the jobs that we need but people here want to be artist, musicians, and entertainers which is fine, but you don't need to go to college to do this. Go to college to specialize in a trade, not because you want to find your inner self talent. I got into computers and completed no college. I did about 5 years of IT and then managed several help desks for a few years. My salary has been in the high 90s range, all without a degree. Things changed recently and now just about every company out there wants a bachelors degree at a minimum if you want to be an IT manager. Therefore, I am stuck from moving into another management position unless I go back to college and "invest" 40~50K and 4 years of my life just for a piece of paper stating that I can do the job that I have been doing for years. Until colleges get cheaper, or even better, allow you pick the classes that YOU want, it's just money down the drain unless you get a high paying professional job like doctors, engineers, etc.

I usually like Wendover Productions videos, but this one I didn't. The idea that universities need to appeal differently to students because 'millennials' are entitled is bogus. There are real structural differences between how universities today work and how universities in the 1970s and 80s worked that are not reducible to essentialistic claims about how a 'generation' acts. Things like the development of cheaper domestic travel, the US News and World Report algorithm-based university ranking system, the erosion of the tenure system, and a reimagining of the university as a business providing a product (education) to consumers (students) have all changed the way universities operate. A better analysis would explore these concrete issues and not rely on specious unprovable claims about generation-based characteristics.

I kinda wish I could just learn from the internet instead of having to go to an official institution to get a piece of paper proving my knowledge, but I suppose that's the world we live in.

College is great, but not for everybody. Don't brainwash people into thinking they need to go to college because it is not the right option for everybody.

the problem is that wages havent increased at the same speed as college tuition

Me, born in 2003: I’m a centennial Wendover video: the millennial generation born between 1982 and 2004 Me: having an existential crisis

"Go to college. You have no other choice" K.

go to college in europe

Just because everyone goes to college doesnt mean everyone can get jobs that require a degree. This is grossly oversimplifies and kinda paint the picture in the wrong light imo

Your channel is nothing but wealth apologetics. The answer is not complicated: Privatized, for profit greed.

If I couldn't afford college then I would've went to trade school

Funny how college is supposed to be the best investment in your life. But that isn't the truth (not for everyone). I went with a lot of friends from High School to the same college. I dropped out after 2 years and in the end I managed to earn same amount as them without "losing" 4-6 years worth of money from jobs - secret? Know the stuff. A lot of companies won't give a rat's ass about your diploma if you know next to nothing. They pretty much appreciate your knowledge and work experience over your degree quite a lot.

Many workplaces are reducing the importance of college education in their applicants. Be mindful of this. I went to college but did not graduate, and yet I am making more now than many of my classmates who did.

Hahahahaha this is so funny! Because i live in Germany :D

This is so sad, I pay 8000 euro for 4 years in college in The Netherlands and in many other European countries it is free. The US needs to get it’s shit together. Everyone should be able to go to college if they want to.

College is still a scam For example, Private Universities are expensive as shit, but you graduate faster Public Universities, for the Middle Class Students, are still expensive as shit, and takes average 4 years to graduate. The reason behind this is that Universities require all students to take General Education Courses, which are completely useless, and full of shit that i already took in School. They require at least 80 Units of GE courses, and its not like you can skip them, if you don't take them, you don't graduate, and you still have to pay for those GE Courses While it would be much more cheaper, and faster to graduate, if Students didn't have to take these time consuming bull shit GE courses, and directly take the courses required for their major. Companies don't give a shit if you took Art, or Psychology or Philosophy, they only care about the Major Related Courses that you took and how well you did in them. So why the fuck are we forced to pay, and take years of GE courses, when we can take our Major courses directly and graduate in less than 4 years its truly just a fucking scam

not everyone "needs" college education. there are apprenticeship schemes, journalism grants, continuing education. that being said, there should be some sort of fee cap for college education.

LMAO "college is not that expensive because people get grants"

For most people, college just isn't an option, and it pisses me off when people say things like, college is the most important thing you can do. The phrase should be, college is the most important thing "some of" you can do. Otherwise your leaving out all the people in the world who have no choice but to self educate, as if your not even bothering to include us in your audience.

so how does one apply "Gender Studies" to the workforce?

Don’t forget about student loan financing interest. That sometimes puts you even DEEPER in the hole

How many kids graduate college and never find a job in their field. End up flipping burgers working two jobs trying to pay off the student loans while still living with their parents well into their thirties? That's right, because it's a very different job market out there. Why college is expensive? Because for most graduates the degree they get will never pay for itself, if they even graduate at all, the demand in the job market just isn't there.

This video does not explain why College is much less expensive in other countries such as in Canada where I am studying at Fanshawe College in London and am enrolled in a 2-year diploma program which is going to cost me about $10,000.00 CND ($7388.63 USD) total, not to mention the very low-interest student loans which in fact do not even start accruing interest until 10 years after the study period is completed! Also many people including myself qualify for (sometimes hefty) government grants to incentivize low-income families to send their kids to college and help improve the economy by educating more people while also drastically lowering the poverty rate. Physically disabled people can also qualify for generous grants which leads to more disabled people being employed easing any perceived financial burdens to the state while making disabled people more independent and productive. And yet, I feel my College education is of equal or greater quality than most available in the USA. In addition, Canadian colleges do not skimp on the amenities or the architecture or the sports or anything that makes college a joy to attend. So why in god's name does US College cost more than 3 times what you might pay in Canada and more than 4 times what you might pay in Europe? In fact many European countries have FREE College all you need is legal citizenship to qualify for it!

in europe we have free collage

College in Norway is free! *Then again the average 100 square meter house nowadays goes for 1.15 million USD, so it kind of evens out.*

You know you are doing good videos when there are mostly likes. Keep going, don't stop doing this amazing videos. Something i would like to say also is that i don t understand why there are no public universities, like Europe or Argentina. I am studying electromechanical engineering and i only have to pay for my department and food, which is also funded by the state, being something of 80 cents for a full meal. If a country like us can do it, i don t get why a country like USA cant. Greetings from Argentina!

This is so fun to hear because I as a college student get a free education, student grand, student loan with almost 0% interest rate. With these income I can live in studio flat at the campus and eat well (the house is student unions so the amount of rent is not that big and university canteen offers affordable food). Nice to be Finnish!

College is an extension of high school these days. Most of the classes are weed out, designed to flunk everyone. These classes are Calculus, Chemistry, and Biology. If you are in high school reading this, be sure to take these classes now for college credit. Also, the way to reduce tuition is to attend a Public State university, not private, and to attend in the state you live. If you get straight A's in high school, you will also get a scholarship of some kind. Most high school kids don't realize this until 11th or 12th grade, and by then it's too late to get that GPA up.

..go to college.. or drown in its debt :D provided the field you pick gets you an actual JOB

The college experience is for those who have money, while the country creates a culture that shames those who don’t get a degree…

Free university in Slovenia

I'm skeptical of the conclusion here. Sure college graduates make more, but is this just selection bias? I can't imagine that there would be a study design that could possibly control for this.

"Go to College, Kids." Laughs in going to an Auto Mechanic Trade School

This was really poorly done, super disappointed with wendoverproductions. There are many variables that are not considered or even spoken of in this video. You cant just generically say go to college, especially when its one of, if not the biggest decision of a persons life. This is just like a sh!t ad for college debt... yea kids go to college and fiscally ruin your life by spending 90k on a liberal arts degree that will open little advancements for you. In reality you should follow opportunity not social convention. In the current job market if your not getting an advanced degree in STEM or corporate finance you're wasting your time and money. SMH you should have just stopped the video after explaining why college is so expensive.

But wait, why are there cooks and stuff? Do people at college in the US get lunch for "free"?

I live in Finland and my whole education is completely free!

I was born in 2000, so according to that guy, I'm a millennial? Pretty sure I'm a founder.

I live in holland and here college costs only 10.000 euro per year(11.000 dollars), but as a student you only need to pay 2000 euro(2200 dollar), the state pays the rest for you. And besides that, you can also loan from the state around 12.000 euro(13.200 dollar) a year at 0.1% interest, and you only need to pay that back when you start working, so if your unemployed your whole life, you never need to pay it back (and banks and other loan providers cant take student loans into account when you want to buy a house and need a loan). And if thats not enough you can also get another 3000 euro a year (3300 dollar) if your parents are poor and you are studying. And students use on average 11.000 euro per year (12.100 dollar) to study all together, so everyone can study without debt issues. And I dont get why american college is so expensive, we've got some great universities in holland, but per student it costs almost 3 times less. Of course the US has some of the best universities but those also cost a lot more to go to, i believe harvard costs more then 70.000 dollars a year, and compared the average university in the US the Dutch universities are just as good, but much cheaper.

The production of this video was very well done, and the direct actual facts you gave were interesting and helpful which I appreciate. However, I find your ending gross, misguided, and dangerous. To say that college, accross the board, is an investment with a guaranteed net gain is just factually incorrect. Yes, college is an investment, often a necessary one. But as an investment, college is not exempt from the risks of any other huge investments. People are not guaranteed an increase in earnings just for having the degree. More often than ever, graduates are ending up in jobs that don't even require a degree in the first place, or are being underpaid for jobs that do. And it's largely because of the issues presented in this video of too many students enrolling because people like you act like there's no viable alternatives and that people who try something other than college are making a bad decision. I would think as a channel that appears to often focus on financial issues, you would know better than to assume any investment of 1000's of dollars just for one thing is "safe" with a definite net gain.

My parents paid 4500 dollars in total for my bachelors in engineering degree. I got a pretty good score and I am currently getting my masters degree fully sponsored by my university. I plan to complete my PhD there too and I'll get a monthly stipend of 800 dollars. It will cover my living expenses since the cost of living in my country is pretty low. My friend on the other hand completed his bachelors degree with state funded scholarship for minorities. Then he went to the US for his masters degree which cost him more than 12000 dollars just get the admission. Then every semester if he keeps his grades up he gets his next semsters fees paid by university. But that doesn't cover his living expenses so he has to work at local stores just for food and rent. I hope someday education is free for all and instead of pouring countless dollars in weapons we could help educate our future generations.

When I heard about a sponsorship at the end, I was worried this vid was just shilling for a particular University. Turned to just be audible.

Here in 2020 trying to figure out how so many of these costs are gone with online school, but tuition still went up..

A master tool and die maker earns well over $100,000 a year, two semesters at a local community college to get into the field as an apprentice, hmmmmm, go to trade school kids.

This is very flawed. You forgot to factor in the hideous interest rates US students pay on student loans. Even in Canada, which doesn't have fully govt funded post secondary education, it's not as expensive, and you don't get screwed fro taking out a student loan like the US. As others have mentioned, almost every other developed country has vastly cheaper post secondary education.

Laughing in Swedish.

You know the arguments "bill gates doesnt even have a degree" or "my uncle is a millionaire and he didnt even finish high school" are completely stupid. The thing is, College is for people who don't have opportunities now, so they go to college to create opportunities for themselves. If you already have opportunities to build a stable career that will grow, you don't need to go to college.

go to a trade school. in a few years ill be making 25-30$ an hour as a journeyman electrician.

These professors don't even deserve such high salaries, we just pay them to ramble for 70 minutes three times a week, and we still have to learn 90% of the stuff at home.

Congrats for your audible sponsorship!

this film didn't answer the question why college is three times more expensive than in 1980'. professors, maintenance stuff and buildings where needed then as well as they're needed now. inflation should have salaries growth covered, so what it is?

WTF! Don't government bear the education expenses in the USA? Where do all taxes go? Do the USA spend all money in Defence?

Isn't increased earnings after college due to most people who are smart going to college? And if you aren't, then you are less likely to get into college.

I have a college degree with no debt, yet I'm still just a dishwasher. $500,000? Really?

I live in Germany and I find college costing so much is ridiculous.

drop out and get schooled by Patrick Bet-David His channel is called Valuetainment.

In Mexico I only pay $0. it's free. but not easy to get in

I went to a university, followed by two different trade schools. I could have just done the last trade school and saved a ton of time and money

So you can earn more,and 80% of that money you are giving for loan you got rofl:

What is also left out is the fact that basically EVERYONE can get a loan to go to college due to the government (Sallie Mae) getting involved in the business of student loans. This is what has truly driven up enrollment because now EVERYONE can "afford" to attend. This is the reason demand has drastically increased.

I disliked the video because the data is skewed. I doubt the average basket weaving graduate (your example) will be $500K better off in his/her lifetime than the basket weaver who did not buy a degree but got a good apprenticeship. Those with useful degrees are better off for certain because they help the students land good jobs (and not all "useful" degrees are STEM degrees, too.) I know there are very few successful brain surgeons who did not get a college education. However, a friend who got a degree in 18th Century Women's Studies is still paying off student loans and can't find a job that uses those skills. You also made no mention the mega billions of dollars that the endowments of the schools have and alumni fund raising. Where does that money go?

So the $32,000 number makes sense, but what about the colleges that charge $65,000/yr?

I know this is a long shot, but Wendover Productions. Could you produce the same video but orient it towards British Universities. It would be interesting to see the comparisons.

“College is the single greatest investment you can make in your life.” This statement will become less and less true as time goes on. Big corporations like Google are no longer requiring college degrees as prerequisites for employment and the trades ate experiencing a renaissance in this country, so the number of people earning 6 figures incomes with no college degree will gradually increase every year if trends continue.

When I was in UC system during 60's it was $15 per unit, one book was generally all that was needed per class. Second, there were far fewer ladder type courses, example class "A" is now "A,B,C &D". Students are being "farmed" by the education system. Simply and get more people employable.

its free. -Norwegian

Over here in India, my college costs $2600 per annum (American dollars), which would be considered expensive in India but maybe not so much in usa.

isn't the 25k dollars per semester I will have to pay for college enough to pay for all of these?

""Single greatest investment you can make in your life"... No. Experiance is.

My son finished dental school and his tuition was around 300,000. If I do not help him paying back this amount with the interest rate, he needs at least 10 years to pay it back. As a new employee to a dental clinic he takes only 30% of what he works ( the 70% is overhead). Most insurances do not pay for dental work especially Medicaid.If I do not help him, when he can buy a car or a house etc..Our government is giving away billions of dollars to " friendly " countries while our students are in financial trouble. To be admitted to a dental school, you must be highly competitive and has a Bachelor degree in addition to Masters in a related subject. To finish Dental school you need at least 10-12 years of education in addition to a field specialty. If you work for 12 years in addition to another 10 years ( to pay your student loans ) =total 22 years of your life had gone without making any money. Better go to a tech school and be a plumber, or Heating and cooling tech school and you open your own business. Education is not profitable financially as it was before.

Or y'know.. Community college. Or train for a trade. Or work towards a management job that pays above minimum wage. Or open your own business. Or even just be content with a minimum wage job. School is stressful and makes people unhappy often. There are more ways to go about earning money than going to a private 4 year university. This is kind of an ignorant video. I love your other work Mr. Wendover, but this one sucks a little bit.

I studied Civil Engineering. now Am bald from college high academic pressure! Lesson of the day : if u wanna lose ur hair go to college kids.

Glad you noted the overbloated admin - but you should also have mentioned the ridiculous use of adjuncts (no tenure, paid peanuts) to allow even more money to flow to sports and senior admin.

Not sure about the ROI.

And yet I worry that $5000 a year is a lot

what about the goverment being willing to handout student loans ( you cant file bankruptcy on government funded student loans ) at higher and higher amounts making colleges think they can raise prices as high as they want to because the government will always hand out more money to students, also why has the price of college gone up way faster than inflation

Laughs in Sweden, we get paid for going, we only pay for our own books