A new NBC News poll found 63% of registered voters now believe a four-year bachelor’s degree is ‘‘not worth the cost,’’ up sharply from 47% in 2017. Even people who hold degrees have shifted negative: only 46% of graduates now say a degree is worth the cost, compared with 63% in 2013. The survey points to growing public skepticism about higher education’s return on investment. Pollsters Jeff Horwitt and Bill McInturff noted the shift spans partisan lines, with particularly large movement among Republicans. The data accompanies other indicators of weakening early-career labor-market advantages for recent graduates and research showing AI and automation are compressing entry-level roles. For admissions, financial-aid offices, and trustees, the shift heightens urgency around measurable career outcomes, cost transparency, and curricular ties to employment. Universities facing enrollment and public-opinion pressure may accelerate vocational pathways, vocational partnerships, and outcome reporting to counter the rising perception of degrees as financially risky.