It's pushed constantly in schools, pretty much everyone is going to college. Colleges are just like any other business, keep the customers coming regardless of price and they will keep pricing higher and higher. With federally backed loans that is exactly what is happening.
In my opinion, many would be better off going into the trades straight out of high school. Plumber, electrician etc. make good money. I can make the case that someone coming straight out of high school into a trade will out earn at least 50% of college graduates. Probably higher than that if the person has some basic business skills and treats his job as a profession. A guy I went to high school with just flat out did badly in school. He wasn't stupid, he was much better at hands-on stuff. He took shop learned to paint cars etc. etc. and he's owned his own shop for years now and does well at it. I also know people with a college degree who have never made more than 50 grand a year. I can tell you any decent plumber can make more than that a year.
BTW if you need something welded get ready for sticker shock, those guys cost a lot of money.