How America Plans for College in 2026
In partnership with Ipsos, Sallie brings you key insights on how high school student and parents are planning for education after high school, from four-year degrees to trade schools and alternative paths.
What the 2026 data tell us about how students and families plan for education after high school
Families believe education is worth it
- 95% of high school students plan to pursue some form of education after high school, with 62% aiming for a 2- or 4-year college.
- 83% of families with high school students are willing to stretch financially to obtain the best opportunities for the student’s future, up from 68% in 2020.
- 90% of families with high school students see higher education as an investment in the student's future.
Planning is starting earlier as families become more intentional
- 75% of high school freshmen are taking steps to plan for higher education, up from 60% in 2020.
- 64% of families have a plan to pay for higher education, up from 54% in 2020.
- $42,307 is the average amount families have saved for higher education, up $16,041 since 2020.
Key conversations about outcomes after college remain underdiscussed
- 38% of families have discussed the average salaries in the student’s field of interest.
- 28% of families have discussed potential earnings vs how much the education will cost.
- 21% of families have discussed the average amount of student debt in the student’s field of interest.
The findings point to a clear opportunity to support students and families with more practical, trusted guidance as they navigate an increasingly complex planning and paying for college process.
What do students plan to do after high school?
Intent to continue with post-secondary education remains strong, although plans are varied among high school students.
- 62% plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university
- 14% plan to attend a career training or alternative education program
- 19% plan to attend post-secondary education but are undecided
- 5% don’t intend to pursue higher education
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students.
College remains the primary path
62% of high school students plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university. While just over half of freshmen (52%) are planning to attend college, seniors show greater certainty, with 72% planning to pursue a college degree after high school. Notably, more high school seniors are choosing college in 2026 than five years ago (+9 percentage points).footnote 1 As high school years pass, the proportion of students who are undecided reduces significantly as well, 27% of freshmen being unsure of their after high school plans to just 11% among seniors.
Alternative programs are a meaningful choice
14% of high school students plan on pursuing an alternative education program, such as an intensive skills training boot camp, a technical, career, or vocational program offering a certificate or license, or an apprenticeship. This has remained stable since 2020. Notably, the proportion of students planning to pursue a career-based education is consistent among freshmen (14%) and seniors (13%).
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
Are students taking a gap year?
Gap years are not a widely chosen option, but about 1 in 10 high school students (9%) are committed to taking a break after high school before continuing their education. Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) are not planning on a gap year, and 22% remain undecided. Students who are planning to pursue career-based education are about three times as likely to take a gap year than those who are interested in a college degree (19% and 6%, respectively).
For those who do choose to take a gap year, their main motivation is personal growth, volunteering, or travel (45%).
What motivates students to choose college, career training, or another path?
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
Top reasons for choosing college
For families set on college, 3 key reasons drive this decision:
- Improving career opportunities (67%)
- Gaining specialized skills or knowledge (50%)
- Increasing earning potential (48%)
Improving career opportunities is an especially important motivator for high school seniors, students who have a parent with a college degree, and families who have a plan to pay for higher education.
Top reasons for choosing alternative education
Families with high school students planning to attend an alternative education program such as trade school, a certificate program, or an apprenticeship, point to 3 primary reasons:
- High demand for skilled trades or technical roles (40%)
- Preference for hands-on, practical learning (39%)
- Faster path to earning money or employment compared to a 4-year degree (38%)
Do families believe higher education is worth it?
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
Higher education seen as a worthwhile investment
82% feel confident that post-high school education will be worth the cost. However, there are some differences by education path. Families whose high school students are planning to pursue college are significantly more likely to agree it will be worth the cost (88%), compared to those considering alternative education paths (71%) or those who are undecided (67%).
9 in 10 families with high school students see higher education as an investment in the student’s future. Slightly more high school families share this view than in 2020 (87%).
Families are willing to stretch financially for the best opportunities
83% are willing to stretch financially to obtain the best opportunities for the student’s future. This willingness to stretch financially is even more apparent today than in 2020 (68%). It’s also more poignant among parents (87%) than students themselves (79%).
What families are doing to prepare
85% of families with plans to continue education after high school have taken concrete steps to plan for higher education, up from 77% in 2020. The top 3 actions taken are:
- Researching schools (46%)
- Meeting with the college/career counselor at the high school (33%)
- Visiting a college campus (30%)
As graduation approaches and the urgency of future plans increases, high school seniors are most likely to have taken action to plan for higher education (97%). Still, many younger students are already getting started: 75% of freshmen, 79% of sophomores, and 87% of juniors who plan to continue their education have taken at least one of these steps.
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
Families with freshmen are preparing earlier
While high school freshmen are less likely to have taken action to plan for higher education (75%), they are preparing earlier than ever before. In 2020, only 60% of high school freshmen had taken action to plan for higher education.
Today, high school freshmen are doing the following at higher rates than 2020:
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
What families are talking about
High school families are discussing a wide variety of topics to prepare for higher education. Top 3 discussion topics include:
- The school of interest (53%)
- College prep or SAT®/ACT® prep (47%)
- Researching and applying for scholarships (45%)
Although families are confident in the value of higher education, this confidence often exists without rigorous evaluation. Many families are not consistently considering the practical outcomes that should inform the early decisions that shape a student’s path. Fewer than 4 in 10 have discussed:
- The average salaries in the field of interest (38%)
- Potential earnings vs how much the education will cost (28%)
- Career placement rates in the field of interest (28%)
- Average amount of student debt in the field of interest (21%)
Do families have a plan to pay for college?
Having a plan to pay is more common than it used to be
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of families with high school students planning to continue education after high school are creating a plan to pay for higher education, and this proportion has increased since 2020 (54%). In particular, 77% of high school seniors say their family has a plan to pay for education after high school, highlighting the growing awareness of the importance of financial planning.
Reasons for not having a plan to pay
High school parents who haven’t started a plan for how to pay for their child’s higher education say it’s primarily for the following reasons:
- I can’t afford to save money so there is no point in planning (39%)
- It’s overwhelming (32%)
- I just haven’t gotten around to it yet (22%)
Students are part of the process
8 in 10 high school students (78%) participate in the process of planning how to pay for higher education, although at varying degrees. Nearly all high school seniors are involved at least at some level (89%).
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
How families are saving and borrowing
Most high school families have savings for higher education
6 in 10 families with high school students who plan to continue their education have designated savings to help cover the costs. Additionally, 46% already anticipate the need to borrow to help pay for higher education.
Average savings have increased
The average savings amount for families with high school students is $42,307, up from $26,266 in 2020. Greater economic insights indicate a positive trend in both general and education savings, with families increasingly setting aside more for higher education expenses compared to previous years.
Older, Gen X parents report a significantly higher level of education savings than younger, Millennial parents ($55,714 vs $32,606).
Where families are saving
Families are trying to close funding gaps earlier by saving for higher education through a variety of vehicles including:
- General savings account (53%)
- A 529 college savings plan (39%)
- Investments such as stocks, mutual funds, money market accounts, or bonds that are not part of 520 or 401(k) (32%)
- A checking account (32%)
- CD (Certificate of deposit (13%))
Chart base: Parents who have saved between $1-$400,00 for the post-high school education of their eldest child in high school.
Borrowing provides a path to higher education
Nearly three-quarters of families (73%) considering post-high school education would rather borrow than have the student not attend at all. This view is shared by both students (69%) and parents (77%), indicating that families still view loans as a practical tool for reaching their goals.
Families are learning about borrowing
Fewer than half of families (46%) expect to borrow to help pay for college or post-high school education, down from 54% in 2020. As families look ahead, many are still learning about how student loans work. While 45% of families believe most student loans start accruing interest after graduation, fewer (22%) are aware that interest often begins once the funds are sent to the school.
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
How do students and families feel about planning for education after high school?
Families experience a mix of emotions while planning for higher education.
- 71% say paying for college is stressful
- 73% feel confident their family can navigate college financing effectively
Families express the need for guidance as they navigate the planning process.
- 40% feel like they’re on their own to figure out how to plan and pay for college, with no clear path to follow
- 25% don’t know where to go for help planning to pay for college
Positively, confidence in navigating college financing grows by high school grade level. Seniors are significantly more confident than freshmen.
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided
Families are confident about their students' higher education outcomes.
In 2026, high school families are more confident in many education outcomes than families 5 years ago:
- Getting into the school of their choice (76% vs 64%)
- How they’ll pay for attending the school of their choice (64% vs 42%)
- Successfully completing the program (86% vs 76%)
- Getting a job (79% vs 68%)
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
How do families feel about graduate school?
Graduate school is part of the plan
More than 4 in 10 families with high school students heading to college say the student definitely plans to attend graduate or professional school (44%) and another third (34%) are possibly interested but not certain. For college-bound high school seniors, graduate school appears to be an even more certain part of their future, with 54% expressing a definite intention to persue advanced degrees.
Chart base: High school students and parents of high school students who are planning to pursue post-high school education or undecided.
About the research
Sallie’s How America Plans for College 2026 research report is based on an online survey of 1,005 high school students and 1,005 parents of high school students. The study was conducted between January 21 and January 27, 2026, in partnership with Ipsos, a global data and insights company. The survey responses were weighted to properly represent American high school families as reflected in the 2025 America Community Survey (ACS).
The research examines how high school students and parents plan for life after high school, including the role and perceived value of higher education. It explores the reasons behind different post-secondary paths and the steps families take to prepare. Finally, the research tracks how plans and knowledge evolve from freshmen through senior year of high school and compares key findings to the last time this research was conducted, in 2020.