Higher Education
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Americans now split into roughly equal thirds as to whether they have a lot of (36%), some (32%) or very little (32%) confidence in higher education.
Lumina and Gallup find Americans are more confident in community colleges than four-year universities. The greatest difference between the two is cost.
Cost and program flexibility are leading reasons Americans without a degree or credential have left their postsecondary program, and about three-quarters of these learners have considered reenrolling in the past two years.
Over half of U.S. adults say it is extremely important for businesses to avoid major pay gaps between CEOs and average employees.
Mental health and emotional stress continue to be the most important reasons college students cite for considering quitting their program.
A Lumina study finds 71% of current and future students consider state reproductive policies in college choices; 80% prefer states with greater access.
Black and Hispanic students are more likely than their White peers to report they have considered leaving their postsecondary program, and mental health and emotional stress are their main reasons for doing so.
Black Americans' perspectives on the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling to end the use of race and ethnicity in university admission decisions are quite nuanced -- and largely fracture along generational lines.
Nearly seven in 10 Americans support the Supreme Court's ban on race in college admissions, with mixed reactions among different racial groups.
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A recent Lumina Foundation-Gallup study shows that in 2022, Hispanic students enrolled in a post-high school program in the U.S. were more likely than any other race or ethnicity to feel discriminated against.
A recent Lumina Foundation-Gallup study found that Hispanic students struggle to stay in college more than students of any other race or ethnicity.
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A new Gallup-Walton Family Foundation study reveals Gen Z has profound distrust in major U.S. institutions, with science earning the highest trust.
Gallup and Walton Family Foundation find Gen Z value college despite rising costs and declining adult confidence.
Americans with at least some postsecondary education are about twice as likely to volunteer their time as those with no education after high school.
Four in 10 college students have interned; difficulty in finding positions is a barrier. First-generation students report the least experience.
Three in four U.S. college students (76%) enjoyed their day, but 66% faced stress, 51% dealt with worry, 39% experienced loneliness, and 36% felt sadness.
Americans' confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, marking a 12-percentage-point decline from the prior reading in 2018.