Alumni felt positively about the professors they had in college; 81 percent agreed that they had a professor who made them excited about learning.
Despite growing fears about how artificial intelligence will disrupt the job market, American college and university alumni say that earning a college degree is still as important as it was 20 years ago, according to a new poll released today. Seventy-one percent of all surveyed alumni—and 83 percent of those who graduated before 1996—said their education was worth the price they paid for it. Asked if they would do it again, 93 percent said yes.
For the annual report about alumni perspectives on higher education, Lumina Foundation and Gallup surveyed 5,934 two- and four-year degree-holders in November and December of last year. Respondents were asked about their experiences in college, their career and financial outcomes, and thoughts about how AI might impact their job.
More than three-quarters of bachelor’s degree holders and 52 percent of associate degree holders said their degree was “critical” or “important” to reaching their financial goals. Eighty percent of bachelor’s degree holders and 55 percent of associate degree holders said the same regarding their career goals. More than half of alumni said they feel very or somewhat prepared to compete as AI becomes more common in the job market, and 79 percent say it’s “not too likely” or “not at all likely” that their job will be eliminated due to AI in the next five years. Only 4 percent of alumni said it is “very likely” their job will be eliminated.
Alumni felt positively about the professors who taught them in college; 81 percent agreed that they had a professor who made them excited about learning, and 57 percent agreed their professors cared about them as a person. Asked which institutional resources they would have liked more of, career coaching stood out as a clear favorite—53 percent of alumni wanted more of that, while a third of alumni said they would have liked more mentoring or time management skills, 21 percent wanted more mental health support and 14 percent could have used more tutoring.
Bachelor’s degree holders were more likely than associate degree holders to have participated in experiential learning in college—with 56 percent and 43 percent, respectively, partaking in a job or internship.
Even as attacks on campus free speech are increasing, two-thirds of surveyed four-year college alumni agreed that free speech was valued at their institution, including 69 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans. Both Democratic and Republican bachelor’s degree holders were more likely to agree that their campus was a “good place” for liberal students than for conservative students.
While the survey respondents may not regret their decision to go to college, they do not feel favorably about tuition costs. Only one in 10 bachelor’s degree graduates said that four-year colleges charge a “fair” price for what they offer. Half of all student loan borrowers reported that they have delayed at least one significant life event—such as buying a car, saving for retirement or getting married—because of their student loans.
Younger borrowers were more likely to report delays in big life events. Nearly half of Gen Z borrowers said they’ve delayed saving for retirement, 38 percent have put off going back to school, a third have delayed buying a home and 19 percent have delayed starting a family because of their loans.
