IMO, a college education is about overall growth - intellectual, personal, emotional…and the list goes on.
I think the past challenging economy and increased difficulty in getting a good job has made many rethink what they want out of college as a financial investment. Now many choose very carefully to make sure they go to college to translate into employment that pays well. Many, many “kids” graduated from college after spending a great deal of money only to discover they were not able to secure jobs at all let alone good paying jobs. People now want tangible rewards.