Search Results

This report used a web-based survey of more than 11,000 college graduates in the United States in order to provide university leaders with information about how they can continue to improve their policies and programs to give current and future students the experiences required to be successful outside of college including: campus career services; mentoring and internship programs; and racial and gender inclusivity on campus. Findings show that the quality of career services mattered more than simply having students visit career services and delivering high-quality career services showed positive impacts on graduates' lives. Prior Gallup research has shown the importance of mentors and internships for a graduate's future employee engagement, quality of life and feeling that their college degree was worth the cost; this survey asked graduates about the sources of their mentors or internships. Finally, the survey asked questions about diversity on campuses since previous Gallup research has shown that college graduates who interact with people from diverse backgrounds during their undergraduate experience are twice as likely to think that their degree was worth the cost.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

America's higher education system is commonly regarded as a major factor in its status as the global economic leader. The American higher education system provides centers of scientific advancement and business innovation, avenues for social mobility and a workforce prepared to build the country's and the world's future. Hundreds of thousands of young adults worldwide come to the US each year seeking a higher-quality education than is available to them at home. But increasingly in recent years, the value of a college education in the US has been subject to debate. As The Economist put it in 2012, 'Rising fees and increasing student debt, combined with shrinking financial and educational returns, are undermining at least the perception that university is a good investment.' Average tuition has been rising more quickly than the rate of inflation since the 1980s, and more undergraduates now take out student loans that will burden them for many years after graduation. This report explores higher education's promise to provide students a valuable education by examining two questions: Do US universities provide students with opportunities and experiences equal to increasing college fees? Do students graduate well-equipped to find good jobs and prosper financially as well as pursue their passions and lead healthy, fulfilling lives?

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less