Survey Says Spring 2026

OAIR Staff

The Higher Education Research Institute's (HERI) annual national survey of college freshmen was administered early in the Fall semester to gather information on students' last year in high school and expectations for college. Findings include:

  • 83% of our first-year students reported that "gain(ing) a general education and appreciation of ideas" was "very important" in their decision to go to college.
  • 62% of our first-year students reported using generative AI (e.g. Chat GPT, Copilot, etc.) "frequently" or "occasionally" to help with coursework in the past year, compared to 21% in Fall 2023.