Some private and public sector employers are eliminating college degree requirements for certain jobs, at a time when many Americans are questionning the value of higher education, a new survey shows. The shift reflects how more hiring managers are prioritizing skills over education, evaluating candidates based on their abilities and practical experience, instead of the degrees they hold.
One in three U.S. companies eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements from some job postings this year, new data from Intelligent, a college prep company, shows. Intelligent surveyed 750 U.S. business leaders online in June about their views on college degrees. Another 25% of companies said they have plans to strike bachelor’s degree requirements from job postings by 2025, according to the survey.
That’s in part because more employers recognize that many prospective candidates choose not to go to college because it’s unaffordable or because they believe they’ll acquire more practical skills in the workforce, versus the classroom.
“Traditionally, a lot of roles had required a four-year degree because it was more common to go to college. But now, due to the rising cost, fewer people are going, and employers are starting to realize there’s a more diverse applicant pool than just the people who have a four-year degree,” Intelligent’s chief education and career development adviser Huy Nguyen told CBS MoneyWatch. “And not having one shouldn’t disqualify them from applying for a job they could be successful in.”
Also, holding a college degree doesn’t necessarily translate to success in the workplace, Nguyen added, particularly in rapidly evolving fields like technology, where information and skills learned in school can quickly become outdated.
That’s one of the top fields in which Nguyen says employers are starting to evaluate candidates based on other metrics, such as on-the-job experience, or certifications indicating that one has mastered a skill like computer coding.
“We’ve seen larger technology and software companies prioritize skills over degrees because of the speed at which the industry evolves. Often, somebody may have gone to college quite some time ago, so what you learned in college doesn’t necessarily translate to skills that the job market demands,” Nguyen said.
Shift toward skills-based hiring
Other industries in which companies are loosening degree requirements for job candidates include finance and insurance, health care and social services, education, and information services and data, according to Intelligent’s report.
Dropping degree requirements can also help employers attract a more diverse pool of candidates, particularly when sector unemployment is low and firms struggle to fill open roles.
Some states have even passed legislation to open up job opportunities to applicants without a college degree. In January, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order eliminating college degree requirements for more than 90% of state jobs.
“This executive order directs our administration to focus on applicants’ skills and experiences, rather than college credentials. It will expand our applicant pool and help us build a more inclusive and skilled workforce than ever before. Our administration is leading by example, and we encourage the business community to join us by adopting similar skills-based hiring practices,” Healey said in a statement at the time.
Learning on the job
Nearly 60% of business leaders said they removed degree requirements for entry-level positions, while 54% said they did so for mid-level roles and 18% said they did for senior-level roles, according to the survey.
The removal of such requirements could let early career job candidates without college degrees, who might have otherwise been shut out from job opportunities, to learn on the job and acquire practical skills that could set them up for success later in their careers.
None of the survey respondents said they would completely eliminate college degree requirements across the board for all roles.
To be sure, neither Nguyen nor other experts dispute that a college degree can confer advantages on job seekers. College degree holders typically command higher wages and are less likely to experience unemployment than those with only high school diplomas. In 2024, college grads’ median pay was 37% higher than median pay for those without a bachelor’s degree, according to an analysis from compensation firm PayScale.