Research consistently shows that earning a college degree from an accredited nonprofit school adds millions to a worker's lifetime earnings and Americans across the political spectrum used to agree that earning a college degree was a smart investment. But this general consensus has waned over time. A 2017 Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey found that Americans are losing faith in college degrees and that this faith is slipping most among young adults, men and rural Americans. Pew Research Center found that the partisan divide in the perceived value of a college education is significantly wider today. Even successful college graduates like Warren Buffet and Ken Langone have begun to question the system that helped bring them monumental success, often saying that "college isn't for everyone." In an interview with CNBC, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush reaffirmed what politicians across the aisle used to agree on — college is a valuable investment. "A four-year degree with a psych major loaded up with debt may not be the proper course for everybody," he says. "But college still has value for a whole lot of people, and it [ought to] be much more affordable than it is today."

Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida, speaking at eMerge Americas tech conference in Miami on June 12, 2017. David A. Grogan | CNBC