We are excited to announce the publication of our annual Graduating Seniors Report.
Each year, we survey graduating seniors from our CollegeXpress audience to learn about the needs, perceptions, and motivations of that year’s incoming class. Collecting this data yearly not only gives us valuable insight into this year’s class but also helps us monitor trends over time. This year, we included additional questions and analysis to assess the impact of FAFSA delays on the current class.
This survey is comprised of data collected from 3,000 students who completed an incentivized online survey after the May 1 deadline. The surveyed students represent a diverse array of demographics attending a variety of institution types and sizes.
At the core of this data are insights that cover a range of topics, from communication tactics and student success preparation to personality shifts and engagement timing. This document also includes comparisons to the 2023 study, which included many of the same measures and the same methodology for gathering respondents.
Here are three insights based on differences between this year and 2023:
Motivation to Attend
This year’s students chose more pragmatic motivations to attend college than last year’s. Motivators such as “learn about a passion” and “new experiences” were down, while the motivator to “earn a degree” was up. Degree selection factors such as “personal interest” dropped from last year while “job opportunities” and “salary potential” went up.
Trust in Social Media Content
The use of Instagram and Snapchat is slightly up compared to last year. Students are now less likely to trust social media content from institutions and more likely to trust content coming directly from users. This year, trust in user-generated content is higher than it was last year, continuing a trend we’ve seen over the years: growing trust in user content and declining trust in institutional content.
AI and the College Search
Many more students were using AI (either as part of their college search or for fun) this year than last year. In 2023’s survey, only 3% of respondents said they used AI to learn information about colleges. This year it was up to 10%.
Understanding student demographics and behaviors is crucial for higher ed institutions to make meaningful connections and support students throughout their educational journey.