Fuseideas and Destination Analysts release study on The State of the American College Student

Fuseideas and Destination Analysts release study on how the post-pandemic mindsets, perceptions, and behaviors of current and prospective college students impact higher education recruitment, enrollment, and retention

BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2022 It's no question that the pandemic dramatically altered a number of industries operating here in the United States, as well as throughout the world. One of the industries hardest hit was higher education. Colleges and universities across the country are still feeling the effects, trying to weather the changes, and rethink their strategies to attract, recruit, enroll, and retain students, many of who now question the need, value, and purpose of pursuing a college degree. To understand this Gen Z shift in mindset, perception, and behavior, creative marketing agency Fuseideas partnered with market research firm Destination Analysts to release proprietary findings from "The State of the American College Student" - a two-year-long study designed to understand and profile college students in America and to better serve higher education organizations in their marketing efforts.

Presented at the 2022 AMA Symposium on the Marketing of Higher Education on November 7th, The State of the American College student was designed to help leaders in higher education understand their most valuable target audience and re-envision their value chain to best support their wants and needs. The project began in 2021 with an initial benchmark-setting survey of 2,000 prospective and current college students. In 2022, a second survey was conducted to provide industry insights and uncover key trends that could shape the future of higher education.

The emotional state of students is of utmost importance, as anxiety, feelings of overwhelm, and senses of loss have increased.

Some key findings of the survey include:

• The emotional state of students is of utmost importance, as anxiety, feelings of overwhelm, and senses of loss have increased
• Students are worried for the future, expressing concern about job security, work-life balance, and overall professional well-being, both while in school and post-graduation
• Students are more heavily influenced by "self-educators" who have diminished the value of a traditional college education, leaving many questioning the decision all-together

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The State of the American College Student study report by Fuseideas and Destination Analysts, complete with full findings, is now available for download at [http://www.fuseideas.com/college-student-survey.