Most college students believe their degree will lead to a good job and valuable skills, according to new national research from Lumina Foundation and Gallup.
The study found roughly nine in 10 associate and bachelor’s degree students say they are confident or very confident their education will equip them with the skills they need and help them secure employment after graduation.
About four in 10 students in each group said they are “very confident” their degree will deliver those outcomes.
Confidence that degrees provide job-relevant skills remains high across all fields of study. Roughly nine in 10 students in every program type reported feeling confident or very confident. Belief that a degree will help them land a job after graduation was also strong, though slightly lower among humanities and technology students.
The findings come from the 2026 Lumina Foundation-Gallup State of Higher Education Study. Researchers surveyed U.S. students ages 18 to 59 from Oct. 2-31, 2025. The sample included 1,433 students pursuing associate degrees and 2,368 pursuing bachelor’s degrees. Participants were recruited from an opt-in online panel.
A separate survey of graduates suggests many see real-world results.
In that poll, conducted Nov. 10-Dec. 1, 2025, three-quarters of graduates said their degree was “critical” (37%) or “important” (38%) to reaching their career goals. Bachelor’s degree holders were more likely to report that impact, with 80% calling their degree critical or important, compared with 56% of associate degree holders.
Most recent graduates also reported finding work quickly. Seventy-one percent of bachelor’s degree graduates who finished in 2015 or later said they secured a good job within six months of graduation. That includes 42% who said a good job was waiting for them when they graduated. Recent associate degree graduates were less likely to say they quickly found a good job.
Overall, 75% of current students and 71% of graduates said their degree was worth the cost.
The results stand in contrast to broader public skepticism about higher education. Gallup has previously found declining confidence among U.S. adults, often centered on concerns about whether colleges teach skills that align with today’s job market.
But students and graduates themselves report largely positive experiences, with strong majorities saying their education built relevant skills, supported their career goals and helped them find employment.
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