2026

College Planning Report

How High School Students Explore, Evaluate, and Decide on a College

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What's in this Report

For high school students, the college planning process and the responses it triggers are complex. Many students start planning for college before they are ready or even understand the stakes of their decision. Some find the process exciting, while others find it stressful and confusing. Most carry a mixture of hope, pressure, curiosity, and uncertainty. Add pressure about what students should be doing from family, friends, counselors, and even strangers on social media, and college planning can become a twisting path instead of a clear road toward an important milestone.

This 2026 College Planning Report dives into these attitudes and behaviors. This comprehensive survey of 1,800 high school students examines student journeys, early awareness, first stumbles, exploration, big decisions, and late-night worries. Each section opens with insights and ends with a practical Action Checkpoint table, and those sections can be read independently or in sequence. The final section, "The Eight Actions Every Institution Should Take Now," pulls it all together into a strategic, practical framework. It offers a candid window into today's student experience and serves as a roadmap for meeting the real needs of the next generation.

Topics Incude:

The top resources and people students use to learn about college
How students use AI in the college planning process
Student attitudes on the value of college and whether it is worth it
How quickly students expect colleges to respond to them
The increased expectations for personalization and genuine interaction

Key Findings

Which of these will influence your decision to apply to or enroll at a college?

All

First Generation

Continuting Generation

Parent or guardian

All 55%

First Gen 51%

Cont. Gen 57%

School counselor or advisor

All 48%

First Gen 46%

Cont. Gen 49%

Campus visit (in person)

All 47%

First Gen 41%

Cont. Gen 51%

Videos about campus life or academics

All 34%

First Gen 26%

Cont. Gen 38%

Student testimonials or stories

All 30%

First Gen 22%

Cont. Gen 34%

Virtual tour or virtual event

All 25%

First Gen 20%

Cont. Gen 28%

Social media content

All 21%

First Gen 18%

Cont. Gen 23%

Conversations and experiences are what make college feel real to students.

The use of AI grows steadily in high school, reflecting the increasing urgency of college-related questions as decisions draw closer.

Have you used AI tools (like ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to help with college planning?

63%

All Students

52%

First Generation

78%

Continuing Generation

54%

9th Grade

58%

10th Grade

65%

11th Grade

68%

12th Grade

Why are you thinking about going to college?

All

First Generation

Continuing Generation

To get a better job or career

All 61%

First Gen 64%

Cont. Gen 59%

To make more money

All 55%

First Gen 53%

Cont. Gen 56%

To grow as a person

All 51%

First Gen 48%

Cont. Gen 53%

To clarify future goals or career direction

All 41%

First Gen 38%

Cont. Gen 42%

For the experience

All 33%

First Gen 36%

Cont. Gen 31%

Meeting expectations from family or others

All 24%

First Gen 20%

Cont. Gen 26%

Because it's the next step after high school

All 22%

First Gen 25%

Cont. Gen 21%

For first-generation and continuing generation students, college represents both economic opportunity and personal development.

Here is a very short piece of context regarding the point of what the chart is telling us over there on the left.

Why are you thinking about going to college?	All Students	First Generation	Continuing Generation
To get a better job or career	61%	64%	59%
To make more money	55%	53%	56%
To grow as a person	51%	48%	53%
To clarify future goals or career direction	41%	38%	42%
For the experience	33%	36%	31%
Meeting expectations from family or others	24%	20%	26%
Because it's the next step after high school	22%	25%	21%

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College Planning Report

How High School Students Explore, Evaluate, and Decide on a College