Inform your 2025–26 higher education recruitment and retention plans with the latest findings in Hanover’s national survey of admitted students.
Making the case for postsecondary enrollment is more complicated than ever, between rising costs, aggressive student loan changes, possible reductions in student aid, a tight job market, research funding losses, and uncertainties around international student enrollment. At a time when college and university budgets face great uncertainty, knowing how to plan and predict student admissions and yield is vital to maintain a strong institutional outlook. In April 2025, Hanover Research surveyed over 1,000 admitted students in the U.S. to learn more about their plans, preferences, and decision factors.
Hanover’s report on the 2025 National Admitted Student Survey highlights the trends affecting college-bound students and uncovers insights about their:
- Perceptions of the value of a college degree
- Motivations for applying to and selecting an institution
- Reasons for accepting, declining, or deferring admission offers
- First-year needs, expectations, and concerns
“While enrollment challenges won’t be solved overnight, thoughtful data collection and analysis can help institutional leaders make more effective decisions that will improve students’ chances of accepting admissions offers, enrolling, and graduating. Admitted student surveys — when conducted at the right time of year — enable college and university leaders to spot patterns, identify opportunities, and track improvements.”
The State of U.S. College Admissions in 2025
In the spring of 2025, college decision day in the U.S. took place amid a host of escalating uncertainties for institutions and students alike. Notably, current economic and political factors are adding to higher education access and ROI concerns.
Despite ongoing financial and ROI challenges, the desire to earn a degree persists for most admitted students, as the public continues to recognize it as a path to better career and earning prospects. In addition, students’ readiness for college has stabilized after years of pandemic-related interruptions, and applying to college has become simpler for many students, with the rise of the Common App, guaranteed admissions, and more flexible policies.
However, these gains don’t cross out the fact that for many students, the high cost of a degree is simply prohibitive, pushing them to pursue alternatives or forego higher learning all together.
Higher education leaders can use the admitted student survey insights in this report to improve their 2025–26 recruitment and retention plans and practices to help more students find successful pathways to admission, acceptance, and completion.
