4. When asked about their long-term professional goals, job stability was ranked highest (66 percent) followed by achieving work/life balance (64 percent) and flexibility (59 percent). Current college students were more likely to seek professional growth opportunities at an organization and achieving work/life balance compared to prospective college students.
5. Students are more heavily influenced by “self-educators” who have diminished the value of a traditional college education, leaving many questioning the decision all-together. Just under half (45 percent) of students think that college is worth the cost, with 19 percent saying they do not think it is worth the cost. About one-third (36 percent) are unsure.
6. Interestingly, current college students are more likely (22 percent) to think it is not worth the cost compared to prospective students (19 percent). This could be a function of the former having already directly experienced the high cost of college (tuition, room and board, textbooks, etc.).
7. The in-person college experience grew in importance for prospective college students since the previous year. On the other hand, fewer current college students than the previous year consider the in-person experience to be important, but most students still value the in-person college experience overall (62 percent).
8. More than three out of four students believe that having a college degree will play an important role in their future professional success (79 percent). In comparison, fewer students feel that not having a degree is a disadvantage in the workforce (54 percent), but this sentiment has increased since 2021.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
- Weak tech could push students, faculty to other institutions - April 13, 2026
- 13 predictions about edtech, innovation, and–yes–AI in 2026 - January 1, 2026
- 5 essential dimensions of AI literacy - December 12, 2025