Survey: Undergraduates on Academic Quality

"Eight in 10 students rate the quality of education they're getting as good or excellent, according to the first round of results from Inside Higher Ed 's main annual Student Voice survey of more than 5,000 two- and four-year undergraduates with Generation Lab. That's up from closer to seven in 10 students in last year's main Student Voice survey, results that are affirming for higher education at a turbulent economic, technological and political moment."

"Still, students point to room for improvement when it comes to their classroom experience-and flag outside issues that are impacting their academic success. Case in point: 42 percent of all students, and 50 percent of first-generation students, cite financial constraints as a top barrier to their success. This can include tuition but also living and other indirect expenses. Balancing outside work with coursework and mental health issues are other commonly cited challenges."

"Some 80 percent of students rate the quality of their college education thus far as good (50 percent) or excellent (30 percent), compared to last year's 73 percent of students who rated it good (46 percent) or excellent (27 percent). This is relatively consistent across student characteristics and institution types-though, like last year, private nonprofit institutions have a slight edge over public ones, especially in terms of perceived excellence:"

More than 5,000 two- and four-year undergraduates participated in the Student Voice survey conducted with Generation Lab. Eighty percent of students rate their education as good (50 percent) or excellent (30 percent), up from 73 percent last year. Perceptions are broadly consistent across student groups, though private nonprofit students report higher rates of excellence than public institution students. Forty-two percent of students, and 50 percent of first-generation students, identify financial constraints as a top barrier, alongside balancing work and coursework and mental-health challenges. The findings point to the need for comprehensive, high-touch wraparound supports in a high-tech environment.

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