Op-ed: The College Degree Isn’t Dead. But the Wrong Kind Could Cost You $2 Million.

Only 35 percent of Americans now consider a four-year college education “very important,” a steep decline from the 70 percent who said so in 2010.

Families are concerned about rising costs and much remains uncertain about how artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape entry-level job opportunities. Given these pressures, many families increasingly wonder whether a bachelor’s degree, which historically enabled graduates to earn $2 million more over their lifetimes than workers with only high school diplomas, is still a good investment.

The answer depends entirely on the university, writes President Jerry Balentine, D.O., in a Fortune op-ed.

AI tools now handle routine tasks that employers used to assign to junior staff—from software development to auditing and financial analysis. To remain relevant, graduates must move beyond technical execution and develop skills AI can’t replicate: judgment, cross-disciplinary synthesis, and the ability to manage the very tools that might otherwise replace them.

Colleges that help students master those capabilities—including by integrating AI education across all degrees and majors, not just STEM—are still exceptional investments that will pay dividends for decades. However, “the ‘passive degree,’ earned without applying knowledge through internships, research, or hands-on problem-solving, will pay increasingly fewer dividends over time,” he states.

At New York Tech, students pair coursework with applied research, real-world problem-solving, and public-private partnerships. As AI lowers the barrier to launching a business, universities must treat founding and working at startups as a teachable skill. Through our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy, students can apply for university venture funds and gain access to mentorship, technical expertise, and the infrastructure needed to launch companies.

Other institutions are making similar bets, alternating academic semesters with paid cooperative education, ensuring students graduate with a résumé rather than solely a transcript.

“So, is a college degree still worth it? Yes—but only if the university is doing its job. In an AI age, the diploma matters less than what students actually did to earn it,” President Balentine concludes.

Read the entire op-ed.

This op-ed is part of a campaign designed to generate awareness and thought leadership for the university on topics of national relevance.