Good question to ask your students before sharing these survey results.  Good starting point for a classroom discussion.

Here are the top 5:

1. Academic reputation (65.4%)
2. Graduates get good jobs (53.4%)
3. Financial assistance (46.9%)
4. Cost of attending (44.9%)
5. Reputation for social activities (you mean, parties?) (42.8%)

Here is the complete list as well as the top reasons given for wanting to attend college:

Here are some great follow-up questions to ask your students about this resource:

1. Were any of these reasons on the list surprising to you? Why or why not?

2. Are there any reasons you think are missing from this list?  

3. What are the top 5 reasons on this list that apply to you? Are they the same or different from the top 5 that are on the list?  

4. If a friend was deciding whether or not to go to college, what would be some of the reasons you would tell them to pursue a higher education? Why would you emphasize these particular points?

Want this resource and questions in slide format to use in class? Click here!

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Check out the NGPF Case Study on Selecting a College

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.