For parents
is university still worth it? wrong question. here's the right one.
Only about a third of Canadians now say a degree is worth taking on debt for — and yet for some paths it remains the single best investment your kid can make. Both things are true, because 'university' isn't one product.
A note from Gigi
the degree isn't the decision. the fit is. let's ask it right.
What the source says
- In a 2026 national survey, just 34% of Canadians said a university degree is worth pursuing if it means taking on student debt.
- Bachelor's graduates who borrow owe about $30,600 at graduation, roughly $24,000 of it in government student loans — and in a 2023 Embark survey, 31% of Canadian parents said they couldn't estimate what a degree costs; the average guess came in more than $10,000 under the national figure.
- The anxiety is rational: you're being asked to co-sign a five-figure bet on an eighteen-year-old's guess.
The framework
Replace 'is it worth it' with these three questions
- Worth it for which program? Degree outcomes vary more by program than by school. Nursing, engineering and accounting carry strong, measurable returns; a default arts degree chosen to defer the decision is the actual risk case — not because arts is bad, but because 'undecided' is expensive at tuition prices.
- Worth it compared to what? The honest alternatives aren't 'university or nothing': apprenticeships pay during training and finish debt-free, college diplomas run one to three years with strong employment rates, and a planned work year costs nothing. A choice made against real alternatives is a decision; one made against a void is a default.
- Worth it for this kid, right now? The strongest predictor you control is fit: a student who knows why they're there completes; one who enrolled to end the questioning is the one who pays for a reset. Fit first, then the cheque.
A bridge forward
That fit question is precisely what Gigsup measures — values, strengths and direction before program applications, so the five-figure decision gets made about a specific kid, not a national average.
Next step
Four minutes of fit data before four years of tuition.
FAQ
Is a university degree still worth the money in Canada?
For programs with clear professional outcomes and a student who fits them — the earnings data still says clearly yes, and only 12% of Canadian university graduates say a degree like theirs wasn't worth it. The risk case is the unchosen default, financed with debt. The variable is fit, not the institution.
What are the real alternatives to university?
Skilled-trade apprenticeships (paid from week one, Red Seal mobility), college and polytechnic diplomas (shorter, applied, often excellent employment rates), and a deliberately structured gap year. In Canada, 'college' is not the consolation prize American media makes it sound like — it is a different tool for different jobs.
How do I bring up cost without crushing their dream?
Numbers, not verdicts: build the actual budget together — tuition, housing, the loan payment that follows. Teens respond better to 'here's the math, what's your plan for it' than to 'we can't afford your dream'. The spreadsheet is the neutral third party.