New AASCU Report Leverages Alumni Feedback to Illustrate the Value of Higher Education

Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662

WASHINGTON, October 24, 2025 - The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) today released a new report that provides insights into the value of postsecondary education through the lens of alumni.

In Leveraging Alumni Voices to Drive Value: A Starter Kit for Campus Leaders, AASCU surveyed participants of its Alumni Outcomes Data Collaborative, which is made up of nine member institutions that are leading the way in value-centered promising practices for student success.

Over 1,800 alumni from California State University, Dominguez Hills; East Tennessee State University; Indiana University (IU) regional campuses (IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast); Oakland University (MI); and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore participated in the National Alumni Career Mobility (NACM) survey from Lightcast. Survey questions explored respondents' thoughts on the value of the education they received based on indicators such as career satisfaction, economic mobility, education satisfaction, and community engagement.

Among the key findings:

• 84% of respondents were satisfied with their degree educational experience
• 83% were satisfied with their current career
• 78% expect to earn more in the future than the household they grew up in
• 73% say their salary is enough to pay their bills every month
• The top motivations for pursuing a degree were career success (62.8%), financial gain (55.7%), intellectual development (46.4%), requirements for chosen career (40.5%), and family expectations (23.8%)
• The top motivators for persisting through college to earn a degree were career, economic mobility, and academic advancement
• 38% said their student loan debt was manageable; 62% incurred student loan debt to earn their degree

"Our study provides a unique opportunity to understand how alumni truly feel about the education they received from our institutions years after they've earned their degrees," said Leticia Maldonado, AASCU's director of postsecondary value initiatives and author of the study, "These insights will go a long way toward helping colleges and universities advance value on their campuses."

"The use of data in this way will empower campus leaders to make policies that boost their value and have a lasting positive impact on their students' lives," said Charles L. Welch, AASCU president and CEO. "By listening to the voices of their alumni, institutions develop a clear picture of their strengths and areas of development so they can improve post-graduation results for years to come."

AASCU's report, made possible with support from the Gates Foundation, includes action items to help colleges and universities leverage alumni voices to enhance the value of their education. These steps include evaluating where they currently are, choosing the right tools to help them successfully conduct their own research, and crafting and launching data strategies to find out what alumni think.

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association that represents the sector of over 500 regional public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to underrepresented student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions' economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions delivering America's promise.