New Sallie Mae and Ipsos Study ‘How America Succeeds After College 2025’ Finds 90% of Recent Grads Had A Positive College Experience

May 08, 2025 at 11:03 AM EDT

Report Highlights Strong Correlation Between Planning and Post-College Success

Nine in 10 recent college graduates say they had a positive college experience, and 84% maintain a positive outlook on their lives overall, according to the newly released national study, “How America Succeeds After College 2025,” by Sallie Mae and Ipsos.

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The study reveals 82% of recent graduates are employed, with 74% working in a field related to their degree. Just 14% of recent graduates say they feel unsuccessful after college. In addition, of the 47% of recent graduates who borrowed to help pay for school, 75% say they are confident in their ability to repay their student loans. Nearly half of recent graduates (48%) say they follow a budget and, 94%, are pursuing at least one near-term financial goal including saving for retirement (47%), saving for a major purchase (44%), or building an emergency fund (37%).

“Despite attending college and graduating during a pandemic, recent graduates were able to land jobs and are generally optimistic about their future,” said Annaleise Lohr, director, Ipsos. “The research highlights the resilience of this generation as they navigate the college-to-career transition and the clear connection between intentional planning—both academic and financial—and strong outcomes after college.”

The study offers additional insights and factors driving recent graduates' sense of success after college:

Recent graduates view success as achieving a balance between life and career. Financial health is the top indicator of success, cited by 46% of graduates, followed by mental health (36%) and career prospects (30%). While 70% of recent college graduates rate their mental health positively, it is also one of the top areas they want to improve (40%).
Planning ahead for higher education pays off. Seventy-five percent of recent graduates who developed a plan for how to pay for all years of college before enrolling report they feel successful, compared to 54% of non-planners.
Tapping career resources on campus can be a game-changer but not many students utilize them. Just 37% of recent graduates used their school’s career resources. However, of those who did, 82% secured a first job in their field of study. Overall, 64% of recent graduates regret not taking full advantage of the college experience and resources.
Most recent graduates worked while in school. Eight in 10 (83%) recent graduates worked in some capacity during their college career. Nearly half (47%) held an off-campus job, 31% worked on campus, and 29% had an internship. Graduates who had an internship while in college were more likely to be employed in their field of study and feel very successful after graduation.

“This report confirms higher education continues to deliver for recent graduates,” said Rick Castellano, vice president, Sallie Mae. “That said, students also need support in building a successful launch plan for life after college. That includes talking about finances early and often, using career resources and seeking out internships, and building smart financial habits along the way.”

Sallie Mae provides free tools and resources to help families plan for college including its free scholarship search tool, Scholly Scholarships, which connects students to thousands of scholarships—no registration required. Additionally, families can explore college options by major, location, cost, and more using Scout College Search.

“How America Succeeds After College 2025” reports the results of Ipsos’ online interviews of 1,045 young adults who graduated college with an undergraduate degree between 2019 and 2024.

For more information or to access the complete “How America Succeeds After College 2025” report, visit www.salliemae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) believes education and life-long learning, in all forms, help people achieve great things. As the leader in private student lending, we provide financing and know-how to support access to college and offer products and resources to help customers make new goals and experiences, beyond college, happen. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

Ipsos is a global independent market research company ranking third worldwide among research firms. At Ipsos, we are passionately curious about people, markets, brands, and society. We make our changing world easier and faster to navigate and inspire clients to make smarter decisions. We deliver research with security, speed, simplicity, and substance. We believe it’s time to change the game — it’s time for Game Changers! Visit https://www.ipsos.com/en-us to learn more.

Category: Research

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New Sallie Mae and Ipsos Study ‘How America Succeeds After College 2025’ Finds 90% of Recent Grads Had A Positive College Experience

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