Young people still see college in their future—but they’re questioning what a degree is really worth. The vast majority of middle and high schoolers plan to go to college, yet fewer are treating it as their automatic next step, and most students say work experience matters more than a diploma for being successful. AI is accelerating the rethink: six in 10 worry a college degree will be less valuable because of AI, and many have already changed their education or career plans because of it. Meanwhile, AI has officially entered the classroom—as a homework helper, a learning shortcut, and sometimes a cheat sheet—while students say schools still aren’t teaching the real-life skills, like personal finance, cooking, and mental health, that they actually want to learn.
In YPulse’s 2026 Education and College Report, we dive into how young consumers view the value of a college degree, how AI is reshaping their education and career plans, what real-life skills they wish schools were teaching, and more.
Report length: 22 pages, North America report is based on surveys of 1500 13-39-year-olds in the U.S. and Canada, fielded March 2026. Western Europe report is based on a survey of 2500 13-39-year-olds in the U.K., Italy, Spain, France, and Germany, fielded in March 2026
