The weight of student loan debt and its effects on savings is palpable. When asked whether their student loans were worth attending college based on their financial situation, about 21% of respondents said "definitely no" and about 23% said "probably no." Nearly 27% said "definitely yes," while 26% said "probably yes."
Based on the results, those who are paying off their debt seem to feel worse about their decision to go to college, while those who have already paid off their debt feel better about having gone to college.
The rising cost of college may help explain its arguably weakening value — one of the reasons driving the price hike is the demand to go to college, Richard Vedder, an author and distinguished professor emeritus of economics at Ohio University, previously told Business Insider: "The rewards for college have expanded and grown from 1985 to a little after 2000 and sort of leveled off in the past decade."
The "advantage of a degree today is less than it was 10 years ago, because of the rising cost," Vedder said. "The return on investment has fallen."