We’re very excited to announce that, as of today, College Pulse has collected 100 million student responses from our American College Student Panel™, which includes over 400,000 verified students representing more than 800 different colleges and universities in all 50 states. In just three years, that’s a big number! And for us, it reflects the unique role college students need to play in helping inform the biggest decisions we will make as a society in the months and years to come.
College Pulse was founded on the idea that understanding the ideas, opinions, and insights of today’s college students can help us understand and build the future. The 20 million students enrolled in American higher education are aspiring entrepreneurs, activists, tastemakers, and leaders. They are 20 million “entry point consumers” who are still developing their brand preferences, poised to rack up over $300 billion in discretionary spending. They are 20 million voters who can shape the 2020 election. And of course, they are 20 million students who are the lifeblood of higher education. They’re at a unique point in their lives at which they change from being shaped by the world around them to shaping it themselves. And understanding how they see the world around them can help businesses, policymakers, advocates, and colleges themselves make better-informed decisions.
Over the past three years, we’ve learned about college students’ perspective on a range of issues — from the presidential election, to the job market, to free speech on campus. We are proud to work with organizations, including the Knight Foundation and Dell, to turn those insights into action and use what we learn to inform changes in policy and practice.
For the team at College Pulse, the fact that we’ve reached 100 million responses so quickly means we’re addressing a gap that needed to be filled. And if the past few months are any indication, college students will have a lot to say as the country begins its path to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and its long road to healing long-standing legacies of racism and injustice. We’re excited for what the next 100 million responses will have to teach us and look forward to sharing them with you.
