Mike Rowe Weighs in on Americans’ Growing Dissatisfaction with College

Published: September 23, 2025

By India McCarty

Mike Rowe weighed in on a new survey showing Americans’ view of the importance of college.

“Americans have been placing less importance on the value of a college education over the past 15 years, to the point that about a third (35%) now rate it as ‘very important,’” a survey from Gallup explained. “Forty percent think it is ‘fairly important,’ while 24% say it is ‘not too important.’”

Speaking to Fox News about these numbers, Rowe said, “When you attach a price tag to [college] that is representative of an increase that far surpasses anything in the history of western civilization — from healthcare, to real estate, to food, to energy — the cost of this experience, relative to its value in today’s society, is laughable.”

“Our country is filled with people who went to a trade school, or went to a community college, and mastered a skill that was in demand who are now, with no debt, out-earning their baccalaureate counterparts,” he continued. “Nobody writes about that.”

Rowe concluded, “We’ve got this cookie-cutter advice we continue to dispense, and in the midst of doing that, we forget about all the other opportunities, great jobs, that don’t require a four-year degree.”

The former DIRTY JOBS host works to change the perception surrounding trade school and other careers that don’t require four-year degrees through his mikeroweWORKS foundation.

“We just awarded $5 million in work ethic scholarships this year,” he shared.

In an Instagram post celebrating the 526 recipients of the scholarships, Rowe wrote, “I want to thank the many supporters who allowed us to award a record setting $5,050,000 in work ethic scholarships.”

“My goal this year was to award $3 million, an increase of $500,000 from last year’s total. For the first time since the scholarship program began, we had more qualified applicants than money,” he continued. “Happily, when I announced this anomaly several months ago, two new supporters emerged to pick up the slack— @wellsfargo and the Fisher Global Foundation. Thanks to them, we were able to assist a LOT more qualified applicants than we otherwise would. And thanks to everyone else who supported our efforts, we set a daunting benchmark for next year’s program. Big thanks to this year’s supporters.”

While a college education is necessary for some careers, Rowe’s foundation is a reminder that a four-year degree is not the only route for young people.

Questions or comments? Please write to us here.