Students in Arkansas and across the nation still have confidence in their coursework and professors but public confidence in higher education is spiraling, according to a report from Lumina Foundation and Gallup.

Arkansas has 85 colleges and universities across the state, 23 of which are accredited.

Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning for Lumina Foundation, said roughly nine in 10 college students feel their degree will help them get a job after graduation.

"They believe the cost is worth it but they don't believe colleges are charging fair prices," Brown reported. "They believe in the value, they just can't access it because it's too expensive. It's out of reach for them. And so that's an area that we really need to pay attention to."

The average graduation rate for Arkansas universities and colleges for the 2023 to 2024 academic year was almost 53%.

Three-quarters of college graduates said their degree helped them get a job and led to their career success. Many were able to get a job within a year. Despite those figures, Brown noted 23% of Americans expressed little or no confidence in colleges.

"There were three things the public is concerned about, which is why confidence is lowering," Brown outlined. "One is they think it's too political, they think higher education has become too political. Two, they don't think it's aligned with the workforce. And three, they think it's too expensive. It's not affordable."

During this highly politicized year, between 64% and 74% of Democratic, Republican and independent students said all or most of their professors support all speakers during controversial discussions.

"Most college students on campus feel like they belong," Brown emphasized. "They feel like they can share their opinion, that they’re hearing opinions from others, that their professors encourage open dialogue. But the fact that some students don’t feel like they belong and feel like they’re being silenced is something we need to pay attention to. We want to make sure that everybody feels safe."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Source: Public News Service