The Grift of Academia

Why college is a scam, academia is broken, and how we can fix it.

For decades, American society has regarded college as the paramount pathway to success. High school students are directed into a stringent system that promotes attendance at a four-year university as the sole route to financial stability and social status. However, as expenses escalate, debts proliferate, and degree inflation permeates the labor market, it is evident that the contemporary educational system is a deception. It is imperative to challenge this predatory system that exploits our youth, erodes traditional values, and renders families financially incapacitated.

Amongst college graduates, the words college or academia are used synonymously with education. This error frequently results in the fallacy that college cultivates well-informed and frequently well-rounded individuals, whereas people who forgo higher education are perceived as less educated and possessing inferior intelligence. Numerous universities have conducted studies demonstrating the contrary, contradicting their commercial interests.

1. The Exploitation of Young Adults

The college-industrial complex preys on teenagers who lack the life experience to make informed financial decisions. At 18, most young people are barely adults, yet they are encouraged—sometimes coerced—into signing away their financial futures by taking on tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Colleges and universities, in collusion with the government, promote the false narrative that this debt is a necessary investment in their future.

The truth is, many of these degrees offer little return on investment. Liberal arts graduates with $50,000 in debt often find themselves earning the same salaries as those who skipped college and entered trade professions. This system sets young people up for failure, locking them into a life of servitude to debt collectors before they’ve even had a chance to build wealth or stability.

2. Skyrocketing Costs and Administrative Bloat

Tuition costs have risen by more than 1,200% since the 1980s, far outpacing inflation and wage growth. Why? Because colleges have transformed into profit-driven corporations rather than institutions of learning. A significant portion of tuition dollars doesn’t even go toward education—it funds bloated administrative departments, luxurious amenities, and unnecessary facilities designed to attract wealthy students.

The explosion of non-academic staff positions—diversity officers, wellness coordinators, and marketing teams—has little to do with education and everything to do with perpetuating the college scam. These roles inflate budgets, driving up tuition while offering no tangible benefit to students. It’s not about learning; it’s about sustaining a lucrative business model.

3. The Myth of Career Readiness

One of the greatest lies perpetuated by the college system is that a degree equals career readiness. Employers increasingly report that many graduates lack basic skills—critical thinking, communication, and technical expertise. Meanwhile, blue-collar and skilled trade jobs go unfilled because schools have devalued these essential careers in favor of pushing kids into college.

Degrees that were once sufficient to land a good job, like a bachelor’s in business or communications, now mean little without a master’s or even a doctorate. This “degree inflation” forces students to spend even more time and money chasing credentials that employers barely value. The irony? Many jobs that require degrees could easily be learned through apprenticeships, on-the-job training, or short-term certification programs.

4. Indoctrination over Education

Colleges have become breeding grounds for political indoctrination rather than places of intellectual discovery. Instead of encouraging diverse viewpoints and critical debate, many universities promote a monolithic ideology that prioritizes progressive social agendas over rigorous academics.

Courses once centered on history, literature, and science are now infused with divisive identity politics. Students graduate knowing more about microaggressions and “safe spaces” than about balancing a budget or understanding global economics. This ideological slant not only alienates conservative students but also undermines the value of a truly broad-based education.

5. The Erosion of Traditional Values

For socially conservative Americans, the college system is particularly concerning because it actively erodes traditional values. Students are often exposed to lifestyles and ideologies that clash with the moral and cultural foundations of their upbringing. Promiscuity, substance abuse, and radical activism are glamorized, while virtues like faith, family, and hard work are mocked or dismissed.

Colleges encourage young people to delay marriage, family, and homeownership—all benchmarks of stability and responsibility—in favor of endless self-discovery and careerism. By the time graduates are ready to settle down, they are often burdened by debt, disillusioned with their career prospects, and disconnected from their communities.

6. The Viable Alternatives

Contrary to what the education establishment would have us believe, college is not the only path to success. Trade schools, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurial endeavors provide practical skills and real-world experience without the financial strain of a traditional degree.

Electricians, plumbers, welders, and mechanics—professions often dismissed as “blue-collar”—frequently earn more than their college-educated peers, all while avoiding the crushing debt associated with a university education. Similarly, technological advancements have made it easier than ever to learn coding, digital marketing, or graphic design through online platforms and boot camps, often for a fraction of the cost of college.

For those who value higher learning but balk at the ideological tilt of traditional universities, alternatives like Hillsdale College or online programs with clear, focused curricula offer excellent education without the ideological baggage or exorbitant price tag.

7. The Breakdown of Accountability

The higher education system operates without accountability, protected by government subsidies and societal expectations. Colleges can charge outrageous prices, graduate unprepared students, and churn out degrees with no real-world value because they face no repercussions.

Unlike most businesses, which succeed or fail based on customer satisfaction, colleges continue to thrive because they are propped up by federal loans and cultural pressure. If colleges were forced to guarantee job placement or assume responsibility for a portion of student loan defaults, their practices would change overnight. But as long as taxpayers and students bear the brunt of the risk, the scam continues.

8. The Impact on Families and Communities

The cultural obsession with college has fractured families and communities. Parents are pressured to mortgage their homes or deplete retirement savings to fund their children’s education, often to their detriment. Meanwhile, students move far from home, distancing themselves from family support systems in favor of campus environments that prioritize transient friendships and fleeting experiences.

By devaluing local opportunities and practical careers, the college system strips communities of talent and resources. Young people are taught that success requires leaving their hometowns for urban hubs, further eroding the social fabric of small towns and rural areas.

9. The Role of Government in Perpetuating the Scam

Government policies are complicit in the college scam. Federally backed student loans create a moral hazard, encouraging colleges to raise tuition without fear of losing customers. After all, students can always borrow more, and the government will foot the bill if they default. This artificial demand fuels the cycle of rising costs and unmanageable debt.

Rather than subsidizing a broken system, policymakers should focus on incentivizing alternatives like vocational training, expanding access to trade programs, and reducing barriers to entrepreneurship. Removing federal loan guarantees would force colleges to lower costs and focus on delivering real value to students.

Conclusion: Time to Break the Cycle

The modern college system is a scam—a bloated, exploitative industry that prioritizes profit over education, indoctrination over intellectual diversity, and debt over opportunity. For too long, it has preyed on our youth, undermined traditional values, and drained resources from families and communities.

It’s time to shatter the illusion that college is the only path to success. By embracing alternatives, demanding accountability, and rejecting the cultural pressure to conform to this broken system, we can empower young people to chart their own paths and rebuild a society grounded in practicality, responsibility, and freedom. College isn’t the dream we’ve been sold—it’s a scam we must dismantle.