Hanover Research：2022年美国未来学生调查

2022

NATIONAL

PROSPECTIVE

STUDENT

SURVEY

©2022HanoverResearch2

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“Manypotentialstudents

believetheyaren’t

preparedfortherigors

ofpostsecondary

academicsorthedemands

ofindependentliving”

INTRODUCTION

Prospectivestudentsarecriticalconsumers,andthefactorsthatinfluencetheirchoiceinpostsecondaryeducationaregrowingmorediverse.Theycontinuetoseekflexiblescheduling,digitalcourseworkoptions,andshorterdegreesorcertificatesinadditiontoatraditionalfour-year,on-campusexperience.Facingeconomicuncertaintyandconcernsaboutjobprospectsaftergraduation,studentsexpectvalueintheireducationandastrongreturnoninvestment.

Theseneeds,thoughimportant,comeatachallengingtimeforhighereducationinstitutions.Withnearly

amillionfewerstudents

incollegethanbeforetheCOVID-19pandemic,leadersaretaskedwithfillingclassrostersaspotentialstudentsconsiderarangeofcompetingoptionsandinterests.Thiscomesafternearlythreeyearsofremoteandhybridlearning,whichhasacclimatedhighschoolstudentstolearningfromadistance.

Consequently,thepandemichasalsoexacerbatedcriticalgapsinpreparation.Manypotentialstudentsbelievetheyaren’tpreparedfortherigorsofpostsecondaryacademicsorthedemandsofindependentliving,whichcouldleavecollegesanduniversitiesscramblingtohelpfirst-yearstudentsestablishafoundationforlong-termsuccess.

InJuly2022,HanoverResearchsurveyedmorethan1,000highschoolsophomoresandjuniors,ages16to19,fromacrosstheUnitedStateswhoareatleastslightlylikelytoenrollinanundergraduateornon-degreeprogramatahighereducationinstitutionuponcompletionofhighschool.Thesurveyexaminesthefactorsthatareimportanttoprospectivestudentswhenconsideringwheretoapplyandenroll.Thefindingsprovideinsightsontheirpreferredacademicpaths,geographicpreferences,meansofcommunication,andmore.

Highereducationleadersmustunderstandthechangingneeds,learningpreferences,andconcernsofpotentialstudents.Keepingthesefactorstopofmind,collegesanduniversitiescanbeginaneffectiveconversationthatcouldultimatelyleadtoenrollment.

Isyourorganizationpreparedtopredictandrespondtochangingstudentexpectations?Download

5HigherEdTrendstoWatchinthe

2022–23AcademicYear

toindout.

©2022HanoverResearch3

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

2/INTRODUCTION

4/SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

6/DEGREEANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

9/LEARNINGPREFERENCES

14/DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

18/COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION22/COMMUNICATIONPREFERENCES

26/CONCLUSION

29/APPENDIX

32/ABOUTHANOVER

HANOVERRESEARCHFORHIGHEREDUCATION

Hanover’sinsightshelphighereducationinstitutionsstrengthentheiracademicportfolios,maximizeenrollmentandretention,managecosts,improvebrandperception,andengagealumni.Fromresearchtoconsultingandadvisoryservices,oursolutionsaddressacomprehensivearrayofchallengestoachievethebestpossibleoutcomesforourclientsandthestudentstheyserve.

BYTHENUMBERS

S700M

intotalgrantawards

3000+

researchprojectscompletedsince2020

FormoreinformationaboutHanover’ssolutionsandservices,

turntopage32

orvisit

/higher-education.

15%

increaseinnettuition

revenueourclients

experience

11x

averageROIwithmembership

600+

highereducationmembers

S500M

innewprogramrevenue

©2022HanoverResearchHEDWP0522

SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

Evenaselementsofnormalcyreturntocollegecampuses,pandemic-relatedshiftscontinuetoaffectprospectivestudents’expectationsaroundflexiblelearningandtochallengetheiracademicandfinancialpreparedness.

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SUMMARYOFKEYFINDINGS

PROSPECTIVESTUDENTSWANTFLEXIBILITY,SUPPORT,ANDVALUE

Mostprospectivecollegestudentsviewafour-yearbachelor’sdegreeprogramastheirtopchoice,butit’snottheonlyoptionthey’llconsider.One-thirdarewillingtoconsiderotheroptionssuchascertificateandothernon-degreeprograms.

Meanwhile,afternearlythreeyearsofremoteandhybridlearning,theycontinuetoexpectdigitalcourseoptionsandflexiblescheduling.

Theseshiftshaven’tdampenedtheinterestinreturningtocampus.Nearlyhalfareeagertolearninperson.Still,manyenrolleeshaveself-assesseddeficitsinacademicandsocialskills,whichunderscorethecriticalneedtodevelopandmarketresourcesthatdelivertargetedpreparation.

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TODAY'SPROSPECTIVESTUDENTSHAVEEVOLVINGEXPECTATIONSANDNEEDS

DegreeandProgramInterests

•Theyaremostinterestedinabachelor’sdegree,but43%mayalsowantanassociatedegree

•One-thirdareconsideringmorethanonedegree,non-degree,orcertificateprogram

•34%areinterestedinpart-timeattendance

LearningPreferences

•Exclusivelyon-campuscoursesarethetopchoiceforone-halfofprospectivestudents,butmanyothers(36%)expressaninterestinhybridcourses

•Only19%ofrespondentswanttoattendcollegefullyonline

Decision-DrivingFactors

•Whenitcomestochoosingacollege,89%ofstudentsconsidercostveryorextremelyimportant

•Thepriceofattendanceisanimportantfactorforfirst-generationstudents(49%vs.34%)

•Futuremonetarybenefits,includingsalarypotential(77%)andresume/jobcredentials(71%)arekeyfactorsinchoosingaprogram

CollegePreparationandOrientation

•38%ofprospectivestudentssaytheyareveryorextremelypreparedtocontinuetheireducationafterhighschool

•55%worryaboutbalancingschoolworkwithnon-academicresponsibilities

•One-thirdofprospectivestudentsworrytheylackadequatelifeandcommunicationskills

•Orientationeventsfocusedontours(56%)andsocialactivities(53%)holdthemostinfluence

CommunicationPreferences

•Collegewebsites(55%)andsearchengines(53%)remaintopsourcesofinformation

•Instagramremainsthetopsocialmediaplatform(80%)forinteractingwithinstitutions

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DEGREE

ANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

Today’sprospectivestudentsarelookingformorediversifiededucationalpaths,withflexibleschedulingandabroadmixofcreativeandtechnicalacademicprograms.

6

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

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5%

33%

13%

46%

DEGREEANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

INTENDEDDEGREETYPE

WHATISYOURPREFERREDDEGREE?

Abouthalfofallrespondents(46%)planexclusively

topursueabachelor’sdegree.

Thatnumberhasbeensteadilydroppingover

thepasttwoyears:In2021,55%ofprospective

studentsplannedtoearnabachelor’sandin2020

thatfigurewasashighas61%.Another13%of

respondentsaremostlikelytoonlypursuean

associate’sdegree.Asmallershareofrespondents

considersanundergraduatecertificateornon-

degreeprogram—5%and4%,respectively—as

theirtopchoice.

Butnotalldecisionsaresetinstone:One-third

ofrespondentsareweighingmultipletypesof

degreeoptions,whichsuggeststhatissuesofcost,

caution,andaninstitution’scorecompetencies

aretopofmindformanystudentsseekingtomake

asmartdecisionandinvestment.

Bachelor’sDegreeMultipleAssociateDegree

4%

Non-creditProgram

UndergraduateCertificate

DEGREEANDPROGRAMINTERESTS

INTENDEDPROGRAM

Artisthemostpopularfieldofstudy(31%),followedbypsychology(29%),healthandexercisescience(28%),business(24%),andmusic(23%).Thosefieldshaveremainedtopcontendersamongprospectivestudentssince2020.Artplacedsecondinthissurveyforthepasttwoyears,whilepsychologytoppedthelistin2020and2021.

THETAKEAWAY

Withone-thirdofpotentialstudentsconsideringmultipledegreetypes,institutionsmusthaveathoroughunderstandingofthepathsenrolleesmaytaketoreceiveadegreeorcertificate—andhowthepandemicandevolvingcareertrendscouldinfluencewhichprogramaprospectiveenrolleewillultimatelychoose.

Doesyourinstitution’sacademic

portfolioalignwithtoday’sin-demand

careerpaths?

DownloadTop10DegreesontheRisein2022

tofindoutifyou’reofferingthedegreesthatwilltranslateintocareers.

©2022HanoverResearch

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WHATISYOURINTENDED

Art

PsychologyHealth&ExerciseScience

Business

Music Biology HistoryMathematics

ComputerScience

Other English Education SociologyEngineering

Chemistry

EnvironmentalSciences

Philosophy&ReligiousStudies AnthropologyCommunicationStudies

Physics

PoliticalScienceUnsure

MAJORORFIELDOFSTUDY?

31%

29% 28%

24%

23%

21%

15%

14%

14%

14%

14%

13%

13%

13%

12%

10%

9%

9%

8%

8%

7%

5%

8

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LEARNINGPREFERENCES

Prospectivestudentswantvariedcourseformats,schedules,creditloads,anddegreetypes,pressuringcollegesanduniversitiestoofferawidesetoflearningopportunities.

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LEARNINGPREFERENCES

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60%

49%

19%

11%

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

TOPFORMATSFORBACHELOR’SDEGREEPROGRAMS

Anon-campusexperienceisthetopchoiceforhalfofrespondents(49%)seekingabachelor’sdegree.But,thispreferencehasdeclinedinpopularitysincetheonsetofthepandemic.

In2021,anon-campusoptionwassoughtby60%ofrespondents,andthesharewasevengreater(66%)inthe2020survey,whichsurveyedprospectivestudentsinlatefallof2019,priortoCOVID-19.

Still,manyoftoday’sprospectivestudentsremaininterestedinahybridoption(36%),and19%ofbachelor’sdegree-seekingstudentsintendtotaketheircourseworkentirelyonline—ratiosthataren’tvastlydifferentfromthoseof2021and2020surveys.

Meanwhile,11%ofcurrentprospectiveundergraduatestudentsareuncertainoftheirpreferreddeliveryformat.

STUDENTINTERESTINFULLYON-CAMPUSCOURSESCONTINUESTODECLINE

66%

2022

2021

2020

WHATISYOURPREFERREDDELIVERYFORMAT

FORABACHELOR’SDEGREEPROGRAM?

Selectallthatapply

49%

36%

Hybridcourse

(withparttaken

onlineandpart

takenon-campus)

Fullyonlinecourses

Notsure

Fullyon-campus

course

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Full-time

Part-time

Notsure

Weekdaysduringtheday

Weeknights

Asynchronous

Weekends

Notsure

Weekdaysduringtheday

Weeknights

Weekends

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

SCHEDULINGNEEDSFORSTUDENTS

Afull-timecourseloadremainsthepreferredoptionformost

prospectivestudents(52%).One-third(34%)ofrespondents

wantpart-timeenrollment,while14%aren’tsurewhichoption

theywant.

Whenitcomestotheclassschedule,onlinestudentsexpress

awiderdegreeofflexibility.Studentslookingforanin-person

courseareinterestedinamoretraditionalschedule,with84%

interestedinweekdayclasses,whileonly59%ofprospective

onlinestudentsareinterestedinthisarrangement.

WOULDYOUPREFERTOENROLLFULL-ORPART-TIME?

52%

34%

14%

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGTIMESWOULD

YOUBEINTERESTEDINANONLINECLASS?

59%

26%

24%

23%

2%

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGTIMESWOULDYOUBE

INTERESTEDINANON-CAMPUSCOURSE?

84%

19%

16%

3%

Notsure

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Urban

Suburban

Rural

Notsure

Iamonlyinterestedinattendingcollegeinmyhometowncity

Lessthan2hoursfromhome

2to4hoursfromhome

5to7hoursfromhome

8ormorehoursfromhome

Notsure

LEARNINGPREFERENCES

LOCATIONANDDISTANCEPREFERENCES

Whenitcomestothetopgeographicareaswhereprospectivestudentswouldliketoattendacollegeoruniversity,urbanandsuburbansettings(48%and41%,respectively)leadtheway.Only19%ofrespondentsexpressedinterestinattendingaprograminaruralarea.

Manyarealsolookingtotravelbeyondtheirimmediatesurroundings,asignthatsomelevelofcomfortisreturningasCOVID-19safetyprecautionsandvaccinationeffortscontinue.Roughlyoneinfiveprospectivestudents(or22%)woulddriveasfarasfourhourstoattendtheirchoseninstitution,aslightuptickfrom2021responses.

INWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGGEOGRAPHICAREAS

WOULDYOUCONSIDERATTENDINGCOLLEGE?

48%

41%

19%

27%

HOWFARFROMHOMEGOTOATTENDYOUR

WOULDYOUBEWILLINGTOPREFERREDINSTITUTION?

14%

22%

22%

10%

18%

14%

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LEARNINGPREFERENCES

THETAKEAWAY

Interestinhybridandonline-onlyoptionsmeans

institutionsmustlookbeyondthetraditional

weekdayscheduletocapturethemarketshareof

prospectivestudentsseekingflexibility.Likewise,

collegeswithvibranturbansurroundingsor

suburbanconveniencesshouldmarkettheir

distinctadvantages.Ruralinstitutionswithstrong

communitiesmayalsoconsiderthisapproach

whenbroadeningtheiroutreach,especially

asmorestudentsconsiderprogramsfurther

fromhome.

Isyourinstitutionreadytomeetevolvingstudentexpectations?

Downloadourwebinarrecording

ReshapingRecruitmentAheadof

theEnrollmentClifftoseehow

othersareidentifyingnewtarget

markets,refreshingrecruitment,and

launchingnewprogramming.

©2022HanoverResearchHEDWP0522

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

Financesareakeydriverofprospectivestudentdecisionsaroundwheretoapplyandwhichcollegeoruniversitytoattend.

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18%

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

TOP10FACTORSWHENDECIDINGWHERETOAPPLY

GETTINGRETURNONINVESTMENT

39%

Affordability

34%

Gettingagoodjob

Tuitionassistance(financialaid,grants,scholarships)

30%

Itshouldcomeasnosurprisethataninstitution’s

affordabilityisthetopfactorforprospectivestudents

(39%).It’sanissuethathasshort-andlong-term

implicationsforattendees.Inturn,forward-looking

concernssuchasgettingagoodjob(34%),tuition

assistance(30%),andcareerservices(19%)were

amongotherkeyfactorsthatinfluencewherestudents

30%

Flexiblecourseschedule

Location

mightapplyforanundergraduateprogram.Asaresult,

quality-of-lifebenefitssuchascampusattractiveness,

26%

extracurricularandathleticofferings,newtechnologies,

andcampusfacilitieswererankedlessprominently.

Helpfulacademicservicesforstudents

(academicadvising,tutoringwritingcenter)

Financialaidavailability

21%

21%

Effectivecareerserviceforstudents

(careeradvising,internshipplacement)High-qualityprofessors

Diversestudentbody

19%

18%

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Affordability

Gettingagoodjob

Financialaidavailability

Tuitionassistance(financialaid,grants,scholarships)

High-qualityprofessors

Effectivecareerserviceforstudents(careeradvising,internshipplacement)

Flexiblecourseschedule

Approachableprofessors

Rigorouscourses

Offeringaspecificacademicprogram

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

FACTORSINFLUENCING

ENROLLMENT

Whenitcomestochoosingaprogram,

prospectivestudentscontinuetoplaceheavy

emphasisonfinancesandacollege’sability

tosupportentranceintotheworkforce.

Respondentsoverwhelminglyviewaffordability

(89%),gettingagoodjob(83%),financialaid

availability(80%),high-qualityprofessors(80%),

andeffectivecareerservices(76%)asveryor

extremelyimportantfactorswhenmakingtheir

finaldecision.

TOP10FACTORSTHATINFLUENCE

WHICHPROGRAMTOATTEND

89%

83%

80%

80%

80%

76%

72%

71%

71%

70%

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Earnahighsalaryinthefuture

Enhancemyresumejobcredentials

Personalfulfillment

Exploremyacademicinterests

Tobearolemodelformyfamily

DECISION-DRIVINGFACTORS

EDUCATIONALOBJECTIVES

Futureearningsremainakeyfactorforprospectivestudentsfurtheringtheireducation.Highsalarypotential(77%)andenhancedjob/resumecredentials(71%)weredeemedasveryorextremelyimportant.

Butmoneyisn’teverything:Respondentsalsocitedbenefitssuchasexploringacademicinterests(68%),personalfulfillment(71%),andservingasarolemodelfortheirfamilies(57%)asveryorextremelyimportant.

THETAKEAWAY

Thecollegedecisionprocesscanbelongandcomplex,withmanyfactorscompetingforprospectivestudents’attention.Institutionsmustcommunicatebillingandfinancialaidissuestransparentlyandactivelydemonstratehowtheinvestmentcandeliverlong-termcareerandpersonalgains.

HOWIMPORTANTAREEACHOFTHEFOLLOWINGOBJECTIVESTO

YOUWHENCONSIDERINGCONTINUINGYOUREDUCATION?

Selectallthatapply

77%

71%

71%

68%

57%

Optimizeyourcollegeoruniversitymessagingtoaddressevolvingstudentneedsandexpectations.

Checkout

HigherEdBranding:3TipstoBolster

YourInstitution’sMessaging.

©2022HanoverResearchHEDWP0522

COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION

Prospectivestudentsarelessconfidentintheirabilitytomanagethepressuresofcollegelife,suggestingmorereassuranceforfirst-yearsuccessisneeded.

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LEARNINGPREFERENCES

PREPARATIONCONCERNS

ForstudentscompletinghighschoolinthemidstoftheCOVID-19pandemic,manyofthemfeellessconfidentabouttheirlevelofpreparednessforcollege.Onlyabout1in3respondents(38%)feelveryorextremelypreparedtoenteracollegeoruniversityprogram.

OVERALL,HOWPREPAREDDOYOUFEELTOCONTINUEYOUREDUCATIONAFTERHIGHSCHOOL?

6%

18%

38%

21%

17%

Notatallprepared

Slightlyprepared

Moderatelyprepared

Veryprepared

Extremelyprepared

ORIENTATION

EXPECTATIONS

Forincomingcollegestudents,finallysetting

footoncampusafterunevenexperienceswith

in-personlearninginhighschoolcanstirup

feelingsofbothreliefandnerves.Onboarding

activitiesandorientationeventscanleavea

strongimpressiononstudentsaboutwhatthe

restoftheircollegeexperiencewillbelike.

Prospectivestudentsvalueup-closecollege

orientationexperiencessuchascampustours

(56%),socialmixerswithpotentialpeers(53%),

andanoverviewofnon-academicservicessuch

asrecreationalfacilitiesandmentalhealth

counseling(47%)tohelptheirjourneysbegin

strong.

WHATWOULDYOULIKETOPARTICIPATEIN

DURINGYOURPROGRAM’SORIENTATION?

56%

Campustour

53%

Socialactivities

(parties,games,icebreakers)

47%

Overviewofnon-academicservices

(recreationalfacilities,mentalhealthcounseling,

financialaidoffice)

41%

40%

39%

Overviewofacademicservices/supports

Overviewofacademicexpectations

Overviewofsocialopportunities

30%

26%

5%

Facultymeet-and-greet

On-campusconcert

Noneoftheabove

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COLLEGEPREPARATIONANDORIENTATION

TOPACADEMICANDPERSONALCHALLENGES

Thecombinationoffeelingunpreparedacademicallycoupledwiththeirfirstforayintoindependentliving,couldposeahurdleformanyprospectivestudents.Amongtheirtopanticipatedchallengesaredisciplineandstudyskills(44%),lifedutiessuchaslaundryandcooking(34%),interpersonalcommunication(33%),writing(26%),andcriticalthinking(25%).