WASHINGTON, D.C. — New research from Lumina Foundation and Gallup finds most college students expressing strong confidence that their degree will pay off in the job market. Roughly nine in 10 associate and bachelor’s degree students say they are confident or very confident that their education will both equip them with the skills needed for the job they want and help them secure employment after graduation, with about four in 10 in each group reporting they are “very confident” in these outcomes.
Confidence that degrees will deliver job-relevant skills is consistently high across all program types, with roughly nine in 10 students in every field of study saying they are confident or very confident. Confidence that a degree will help secure a job after graduation is also broadly strong, and only slightly lower among humanities and technology students.
These results are from the Lumina Foundation-Gallup 2026 State of Higher Education Study, conducted via web Oct. 2-31, 2025. The survey is based on U.S. students aged 18 to 59, including 1,433 who are pursuing an associate degree and 2,368 who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Respondents were recruited from an opt-in online panel.
Most Graduates Secure a Good Job Within One Year of Graduation
In a related survey of 1,266 two-year-degree and 4,667 four-year-degree alumni conducted via web by Lumina Foundation and Gallup Nov. 10-Dec. 1, 2025, three-quarters of college graduates say their degree has been “critical” (37%) or “important” (38%) to reaching their career goals. The perceived impact of their degree and its importance to their career goals is especially high among bachelor’s degree graduates (80% say it has been critical or important) compared with associate degree holders (56%).
Moreover, most recent graduates say they secured quality jobs relatively quickly upon graduation. Seventy-one percent of recent bachelor’s degree graduates (those who graduated in 2015 or later) say they obtained a good job within six months of graduation, including 42% who said a good job was waiting for them as soon as they graduated. Recent associate degree graduates are somewhat less likely to say they quickly found a good job upon graduation.
Positive attitudes toward job outcomes upon graduation may partially explain high overall ratings of value among currently enrolled students and graduates. Gallup finds that 75% of current students and 71% of college graduates agree their degree is worth the cost.
Bottom Line
Confidence in higher education among U.S. adults has declined over time; Gallup has found that concerns often focus on whether colleges are teaching skills that align with today’s job market. At the same time, these results from surveys of current college students and recent college graduates show that they generally view their own degree outcomes favorably. Strong majorities report confidence that their education is building relevant skills, contributing to their career goals and helping them secure employment after graduation, pointing to a difference between broader public perceptions and the experiences reported by those closest to higher education today.
Learn more about how the Lumina Foundation-Gallup State of Higher Education Study works.
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