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Diversity + Equity + Inclusion

Gen Z values education — but doesn’t think a four-year degree is the only option

HR Dive

July 5, 2023

Diversity + Equity + Inclusion

Gen Z values education — but doesn’t think a four-year degree is the only option

HR Dive

July 5, 2023

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Dive Brief:

  • The current cohort of high school students, part of Generation Z, values postsecondary education but is increasingly interested in alternatives to four-year colleges, according to a new report from ECMC Group, a nonprofit focused on student success, and Vice Media.
  • In 2023, 65% of surveyed students said they would need education beyond high school, compared to 59% pre-pandemic, the report said. But 59% said they could be successful if they don’t get a four-year degree
  • Almost half, 48%, of high schoolers said their postsecondary education would ideally take three years or less, and just over a third, 35%, said it should take two years or less.

Dive Insight:

Traditional students are reconsidering the value proposition of a four-year college education. Much of the discussion has focused on the cost and post-graduation debt.

A majority of Gen Z high school students, 62%, worry about paying for college, the new report found. But it also showed that the time investment is a serious consideration.

Researchers surveyed over 7,000 high school students about their thoughts on higher education and their future careers between January 2020 and January 2023.

In 2020, 20% of students considered attending a community college, it found. That portion rose to 25% in 2023. Likewise, students considering career and technical education, CTE, rose from 15% in 2020 to 19% in 2023. Interest in on-the-job training rose from 19% to 22% over the same period.

Interest in a traditional college experience remains high. Around half of surveyed students, 52%, said they were considering a four-year institution — a percentage that has largely remained unchanged since 2021. But interest has yet to recover to its pre-pandemic standing of 71% in 2020.

High school students are making choices with their future careers in mind, the report stressed.

Nearly four in ten Gen Z students, 38%, said the most important consideration when choosing a college was what careers would be available to them, with similar shares saying the same of being able to feed themselves (34%) and having reliable transportation (30%), the report said.

Among those surveyed, 79% said it is important that they have on-the-job learning experiences as part of their higher education. About two-thirds, 65%, said they would ideally learn job skills through internships or similar programs.

High schoolers also see education as a societal responsibility, the report said.

A vast majority, 90%, said the government should support education and careers by subsidizing higher education, reimbursing tuition and helping pay off student debt. And 86% said the private sector should behave similarly, providing and reimbursing employees for formal education. These shares have stayed consistent since before the pandemic.

Read the full report here.

The current cohort of high school students, part of Generation Z, values postsecondary education but is increasingly interested in alternate
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