2024年美国高校潜在学生调查报告

TABLE OF CONTENTS HANOVER RESEARCH Hanover’sinsights help higher educationinstitutionsstrengthentheiracademicportfolios, maximize enrollment and retention,manage costs, improve brand perception, andengage alumni. From research to consulting 3 /INTRODUCTION4 /2024 PROSPECTIVE STUDENT TRENDS5 /WHO’S CONSIDERING HIGHER EDUCATION —AND WHO MAY NOT8 /WHAT MOTIVATES PROSPECTS TOAPPLY ANDENROLL11 /WHAT PROSPECTS WANT TO STUDY14 /HOW AND WHERE PROSPECTS WANT TO LEARN18 /WHAT CAMPUS SUPPORT PROSPECTS NEED22 /HOW TO REACH PROSPECTS24 /WHEN TO REACH PROSPECTS28 /CONCLUSION30 /APPENDIX 11xaverage ROI 600+higher education 3000+research projectscompleted For more information about Hanover’ssolutions and services, turn to page 32 or visithanoverresearch.com/higher-education. INTRODUCTION As enrollment challenges persist at higher education institutions, collegeand university leaders know that some recruitment strategies that workedin the past no longer guarantee results. Gone are the days of considering Instead, higher education leaders must pay close attention to prospectivestudents’shifting demographics,behaviors,and attitudes,and develop Whilestudent differences and external factors(such as economic andpolitical) can make it more difficult to predict students’ college enrollmentdecisions, institutions also have an opportunity to leverage this information In July 2024, Hanover Research surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. high schoolstudents (ages 16–19) to examine what factors are important to them Fine tune your institution’s SEMplanning with our guide,5 Waysto Enhance Strategic Enrollment Higher education leaders can immediately apply these insights to strengthentheirenrollment planning,tailor admissions guidance,and enhance 2024 PROSPECTIVE STUDENT TRENDS Most high school students are interested in higher education despite significant enrollmentbarriers tied to academics and affordability, but they expect a high return on investment. Finances and Academics Drive Decisions Increased Optimism about College and Careers 1 Affordability and future employability most often determineif students will apply and enroll. Financial cost, uncertaintyabout what to study, and academic performance concerns Most students are feeling optimistic about their likelihood ofgoing to college after high school and have an idea of what A Desire for Full-Time, In-Person Experiences 2 6 CredentialType While students would like to have a wide variety of learningoptions, most plan to enroll full-time in a suburban or urban Motivated by salary objectives, about half of current highschool students have an idea of their future educationaland career path, which most often leads them to consider a College Preparedness Concerns Are Increasing 3 Less Social Media7 Only about a third of students feel prepared for college lifeandacademics, with concerns about their self-discipline, Most students want to hear from institutions by email andtext message, but slightly less so via social media and printpublications. Their socialmedia usage is spread across 4ApplicationProcess Most students are slightly familiar with the college admissionsprocess, start researching colleges around their sophomore WHO’S CONSIDERING HIGHER EDUCATION — AND WHO MAY NOT Most prospective students continue to be interested in pursuing college after high schoolgraduation, but their financial and academic barriers to enrollment have increased. Overall, most survey respondents (90%) reportbeing at least moderately likely to enroll in acollegeor university after high school,up 6percentage points from 2022 and 16 percentagepointsafter a dip in 2023.Nearly three-quarters of students this year (74%) are very Enrollment Barriers Continue to Increase For students who say they’re less likely to enroll in higher education, theirconcerns primarily center on financial reasons (53%), being unsure of whatthey want to study (48%), concerns about their ability to perform academically While these concerns largely mirror the responses from 2023, in 2024 therewas a noteworthy jump in students’ worries about costs, their academic ability,the admissions process, and their ability to be accepted into an institution — Apprehension About Return on Investment The percentage of college nay-sayers whobelieve a degree is unlikely to help them While only 14% of all surveyed students say they don’t see value in earninga degree or certificate at all, their top reasons come down to financial cost(63%), the need to take on too much student debt (60%), and the time BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATION Directlyaddress students’primary enrollment barriers in yourinstitution’s recruitment messaging: demonstrate how tuition costsare surmountable, academic support is plentiful, and there are clearsteps to navigate the application and admissions process. Additionally, WHAT MOTIVATES PROSPECTS TO APPLY AND ENROLL Prospective students largely consider college application and enrollment decisions ba