By Sarah N. Mattero Globe Correspondent

Americans feel that higher education is imperative for a successful future, but they believe that the US higher education system is providing poor value for the cost, a Northeastern University survey has found.

Seven in 10 Americans believe higher education is “extremely” or “very” important to achieving the American dream, according to the survey.

But at the same time, only 39 percent said the system was providing “excellent” or “good” value for the money, with the remainder saying the value was “fair” or “poor.”

The findings came from a survey sponsored by Northeastern in October that included 1,001 telephone interviews with American adults nationwide, and an online survey of an additional 250 young adults.

“In order for us to keep in tune with the world, we have to understand what the world is saying, what it needs,” said Northeastern President Joseph Aoun. “The public at large holds high the American Dream. Higher education helps them to move up and build their life, build their careers.”

The survey found that 83 percent believed that in order to stay competitive with countries around the world, changes in the system were needed. Additionally, two in three saw funding cuts to public universities as one reason the country’s standing as a global leader in higher education has dropped.

Universities need to implement more creative ways to educate students, like hybrid courses, which are a mix of online and traditional classroom learning, 87 percent of the young adults said. Sixty-eight percent of the young adults also said an online degree would be of equal value and accepted amongst employers as a traditional degree within the next five to seven years.