New survey reveals what keeps college students up at night

College students have a lot on their minds as they head back to school. What’s the right major? Will they need to take out more student loans to cover costs? What will the job market look like when they graduate?

To dig into college students’ perspectives on the upcoming school year, Forbes Advisor conducted a survey of 1,000 college students in July 2024.

The results reveal the many concerns college students are shouldering during back-to-school season.

Seventy-eight percent of students choose in-person or hybrid classes over only online courses.

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When surveyed about their fall classes, a plurality of college students reported taking only in-person classes, while more than a third plan to enroll in both online and in-person classes.

While 78% of students are taking at least some on-campus classes, 56% are taking at least some online classes.

More than half of students surveyed by Forbes Advisor said they plan to use scholarships, grants or financial aid to pay for college.

Nearly three in 10 students plan to take out student loans to cover costs, according to the survey.

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The survey found that college students plan to spend an average of $209.50 on textbooks and supplies this semester, with 23% saying they plan to spend $300 or more.

When it comes to mental health, male college students are generally more satisfied with mental health support than their female counterparts.

Eighty-two percent of males surveyed were very or somewhat satisfied by how their college supported their mental health, compared to 69% of female respondents.

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Interestingly, 42% of students are concerned about their health and safety on campus, with 15% reporting they are “very” concerned.

Declaring a major is an important college milestone and once students choose a major, they generally stick with it, though the results found that 36% have changed their major since they started college.

The top reason students selected their major was because it’s a personal passion or interest (43%).

In a distant second place was because they felt it would help their career prospects (17%), with an expected high salary and financial stability following close behind (13%).

And job anxiety is real—according to the poll, 80% of college students are concerned about landing a job after college, with just 20% saying they aren’t worried at all.

The top concerns include lack of work experience (24%), lack of job opportunities in their field (22%), competition with other graduates (22%), and uncertainty about the job market. (19%).

Survey methodology

This online survey of 1,000 Americans currently enrolled as college students was commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from July 5 to July 16, 2024. The margin of error is ± 3.1 point with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

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