The picture of the average American college student is evolving, fueled in part by increased access to higher education and diverse pathways toward a degree. That 18-year-old fresh out of high school living in the dorms is still one type of student on campus, but increasingly students are working parents, commuters caring for their aging parents or veterans returning to civilian life.
Trellis Strategies’ Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) explores the ways students engage with their college or university, including how they pay for college, their usage of student supports and their perception of the value of a degree. But more than this, it provides a glimpse of the unique characteristics of Modern Learners, the obstacles they face in pursuit of a degree, and opportunities for institutions and policymakers to design higher education systems that accommodate today’s students.
The latest iteration of the Student Financial Wellness Survey, fielded in late October and early November 2025, includes responses from over 65,000 undergraduate students from 153 institutions in 23 states, over half of whom are enrolled at two-year institutions.
Below are 25 key data points from this year’s findings from the Student Financial Wellness Survey
- Only 4 percent of students are fully self-financing their education; on average, respondents reported three different sources to fund their education including scholarships, grants, loans, personal savings, income and contributions from parents.
- One-third of respondents have taken out student loans to pay for college and 72 percent of borrowers express low confidence in their ability to repay their loans. Four-year college attendees were more likely to take out loans (42 percent), compared to their two-year peers (23 percent).
- While a majority of two-year students believe their institution makes tuition and fees affordable (68 percent), only 44 percent of four-year respondents believe their institution makes tuition affordable.
- Two-thirds of students work for pay while enrolled, and about one-third identify as “a worker who goes to school,” rather than a “student who works.”
- 25 percent of students who are working hold more than one job. Among students who did not work, half said they actively looked for work in the past month.
- 54 percent of students said they would struggle to access $500 in cash or credit for an emergency expense.
- Nearly half (49 percent) of all students who experienced financial challenges said they had difficulty concentrating on their schoolwork because of their financial situation.
- 65 percent of students have run out of money at least once since January 1; 21 percent of respondents had run out of money eight or more times since the start of the year.
- 23 percent of students reported using buy now, pay later services during 2025, with two-year students more likely to use these services
- One-quarter of respondents used some form of public assistance including SNAP, Medicaid, utility assistance, childcare assistance, housing assistance or unemployment resources in the past year.
- 51 percent of two-year students and 34 percent of four-year students indicated it was important for them to support their family financially while in college.
- About one in five students live on campus (21 percent), but only 3 percent of community college students live on campus, compared to 37 percent of their four-year peers.
- 39 percent of students completed their fall 2025 courses via in-person, face-to-face instruction and an additional 38 percent completed courses in a hybrid format.
- 54 percent of respondents experienced at least one form of basic needs insecurity. Food insecurity was most common with 42 percent of students reporting low or very low food security in the past 30 days.
- 35 percent of respondents had experienced housing insecurity in the past year, with 14 percent unable to pay the full amount for utilities and 17 percent having a rent or mortgage increase that made it difficult to pay. Eleven percent of all respondents were homeless at some point in the past 12 months.
- Students with experience in the foster care system were more likely to be food insecure (68 percent), have housing insecurity (68 percent) or experience homelessness (39 percent).
- Seventeen percent of respondents identify as caregivers or legal guardians to children or other dependents, and this grows to 25 percent among students at two-year colleges.
- Among parenting students, 28 percent are single, and these respondents were more likely to say they are experiencing basic needs insecurity and would struggle finding $500 in an emergency.
- 20 percent of respondents missed at least one day of class due to a lack of transportation. Among students who commute to campus, 59 percent use their own vehicle, 8 percent use public transport and 32 percent get to campus another way.
- A majority of students struggle with loneliness, with 57 percent reporting they feel lonely sometimes or always. Only 15 percent of respondents said they never feel lonely.
- 42 percent of students exhibited signs of generalized anxiety disorder and 30 percent experienced symptoms of major depressive disorder.
- Twenty-three percent of respondents are unaware of mental health or counseling resources available on their campuses, despite all of their institutions offering support.
- Two-year respondents were more likely to believe the cost of college is a good investment for their financial future (78 percent) compared to their four-year peers (72 percent). In total, three-quarters of respondents believe the cost of college is a good investment.
- When asked how much they expected to earn after graduation, the largest share of students said between $61,000 and $90,000 (35 percent), or between $31,000 and $60,000 (34 percent).
- 84 percent of respondents believe a college degree will provide them with a higher quality of life.
Ashley Mowreader is a freelance data journalist. Previously, Ashley worked for Inside Higher Ed, covering barriers to student success nationally, with a focus on evidence-based solutions. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Pepperdine University and is currently pursuing her master’s in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.