Survey Says: Close to half of all High School Seniors have not started applying to Colleges yet

Niche Marketing and Tudor Collegiate Strategies recently conducted a survey of more than 31,000 High School Seniors nationwide. They conducted the survey online and using social media. Here is a link to the actual survey: Class of 2021 Fall Survey

The survey results to date have shown that Forty-seven percent of all high school seniors, and 56 percent of those from low-income families, have not started applying to college.

Other findings from the survey:

  • Students in New England and the West Coast are furthest behind.
  • Forty-two percent of students have not taken a standardized test, and 53 percent of low-income students have not. More than a third — 36 percent — of those who have taken a test still do not plan to submit a score with their application.
  • An overwhelming majority (92 percent) of students are feeling fear or anxiety right now. Their top concern is being able to afford college.
  • A majority of students (56 percent) have attended a virtual event by a college. Of those who have, 79 percent are interested in attending another one.
  • Most students (79 percent) aren’t willing to participate in a virtual event that lasts longer than 45 minutes.
  • Students prefer Instagram, by a very wide margin, over other social media to look up colleges.
  • Nearly half of students (48 percent) said the communications they’ve been receiving from colleges and universities all look and sound the same. Only 8.1 percent said they feel very personal.
  • The pandemic has not drastically changed how close to home students plan to enroll. Less than 1 percent of students plan to enroll online, and 40 percent say that distance from home doesn’t matter in their decision making. Of those who did have a preference, only just over a third wanted to stay under two hours from home.