Communicating the Value of a Degree in a Difficult Job Market
When recent college graduates are struggling to find work, how do colleges and universities communicate the value of a degree?
It is an important question for institutional leaders this fall. Admissions teams are traveling, campus visits are underway, and early application deadlines are approaching.
Students and families are considering a substantial investment while hearing about a difficult job market and AI's potential to change the careers they hope to pursue.
As a higher education marketer, I see this as an opportunity to connect the value of an education with the uncertainty families are trying to navigate. Institutions can help students understand how a degree prepares them for an evolving career, even when the first step into employment may be challenging.
Putting the job market in context
Unemployment and underemployment
In The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported unemployment of about 5.6% among recent college graduates in the second quarter of 2026. Underemployment, working in jobs that typically do not require a degree, reached 42%. These figures may help explain why some students and families question whether pursuing a degree is worth the investment. [1]
Artificial intelligence
Stanford researchers have identified weaker employment among young workers in highly AI-exposed occupations, although their findings do not definitively establish how much AI caused those changes. [2]
Separately, an April 2026 Gallup report found that 42% of bachelor's degree students and 56% of associate degree students had given at least a fair amount of thought to changing their field because of AI. [3]
While those of us in higher education cannot predict the job market a student will encounter once they graduate, we can help students and families understand the long-term value of a degree and how a program prepares them to adapt.
Helping students and families evaluate degree value
Communicate the long-term value of a degree
Put today's hiring conditions in perspective. Explain how a degree builds knowledge, experience, and professional relationships students can draw on as their careers evolve.
Include the broader benefits of education. Intellectual development, personal growth, relationships, and community participation contribute to its lasting value.
Help families evaluate the investment. Make net cost and time to completion clear so families can consider the degree in relation to their goals and financial circumstances.
Make career preparation and employability tangible
Show the capabilities students develop. Use examples of student work to illustrate subject expertise, communication, problem-solving, and sound judgment.
Explain access to professional experience. Describe how students participate in internships, clinical placements, research, and employer projects.
Highlight career support and connections. Show how advising, career services, employers, and alumni help students explore opportunities and prepare for employment.
Give graduate outcomes context. Identify the graduating class, reporting period, response rate, and whether employment is related to the degree.
Address AI career concerns
Acknowledge uncertainty and explain preparation. Describe how the program helps students respond as technology changes professional work.
Show how students learn to work with AI. Where supported by the curriculum, share assignments and projects that demonstrate relevant uses, evaluation of results, and responsible practice.
Make professional judgment visible. Show students applying disciplinary knowledge, interpreting results, considering ethical implications, and making informed decisions.
Share how programs respond to change. Highlight specific curriculum updates, faculty expertise, and employer input.
Demonstrate adaptability. Show how students practice learning new tools and applying their knowledge to unfamiliar challenges. Concrete examples can build confidence without promising an "AI-proof" career.
These messages can build on recruitment communications already underway. Program webpages can provide detail; campus visits can bring examples to life; and email, text, social media, and parent communications can continue the conversation as families move confidently through their enrollment journey.
How Villa Marketing can help
I know how much marketing and enrollment teams are managing during fall recruitment. Focused outside support can help advance this work within an already demanding schedule.
Through Villa Marketing, I can work with your team to clarify a priority program's value, gather relevant examples and outcomes, and develop messaging that addresses families' questions about career preparation, AI, and the broader benefits of a degree.
If communicating degree value in today's job market is a priority this recruitment season, let's discuss how Villa Marketing can help. Email: Colleen@VillaMarketing.co; Phone: 269.759.4011
Sources
[1] Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates. Second quarter 2026.https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market
[2] Stanford Digital Economy Lab. No Widespread Displacement, but the AI Employment Gap for Young Workers Has Widened to 19%. August 12, 2026. https://digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/news/canariesaug26/
[3] Gallup. College Students Weigh AI's Impact on Majors and Careers. April 1, 2026.
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