How America Plans for Post-secondary Education 2020
By Sallie Mae® and Ipsos
94% of high school students are likely to continue their education after high school
What factors do students and families consider when choosing a school? How do they save and plan to pay for higher education?
See how you compare to other families and get planning tips to help you reach your goals.
Read the research report
Read the adjunct research report featuring COVID-19 research
View the infographic
#HowAmericaPlans
Higher education doesn't look the same for everyone
Students' higher education plans
Top factors families consider when deciding on a school
Offers programs related to the student’s desired career or major (58%)
Location (52%)
Financial aid offer received (48%)
Total cost of degree (32%)
Creating a plan to pay for higher education is a family decision
78% of students have a role in creating the plan
Steps families have taken to plan
Use our free Scholarship Search tool to access more than 5 million scholarships worth up to $24 billion.
Slightly more than half of families (54%) have a plan for how to pay for higher education
average saved by planners
average saved by non-planners
Planners are 3x as likely to be confident about meeting the cost of higher education
of planners confident about meeting costs
non-planners confident about meeting costs
See how much you can build your savings for school over time.
90% of families have had a “college talk” but only two-thirds have discussed how they’ll pay
Higher education planning topics discussed
schools the student is interested in
scholarships
college prep or SAT/ACT prep
who will pay for education
total cost of education
Our College Planning CalculatorSM can help you estimate college costs and build a customized financial plan.
High school seniors delay completing the FAFSA®, which may result in less federal financial aid
Get timely information about filing the FAFSA®.
Families are looking for more financial literacy support
Only half of students
say their high school teaches basic financial literacy skills, such as budgeting, using credit, and understanding interest
89% of parents
want their students high school to teach financial literacy if it currently isn't
Additional resources
Higher Ambitions: How America Plans for Post-secondary Education 2020 research report
Higher Ambitions Adjunct Report featuring COVID-19 research
Higher Ambitions 2020 Infographic
Join the conversation with #howamericaplans
Ipsos conducted the Higher Ambitions: How America Plans for Post-secondary Education survey online, in English between Wednesday, January 8, 2020 and Friday, January 17, 2020.
Ipsos interviewed 1,503 parents with a high school student and 1,507 current high school students from the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.