9,317 College Applicants and Their Parents Reported on Their Dream Colleges, Application Stress, Financial Aid Need, Admission Test-Taking, Views about AI, and More
- #1 "Dream College" Among Students: MIT
- #1 "Dream College" Among Parents: Princeton
- 73% Report High Stress About Applications
- 98% Need Financial Aid
- 92% Planned to Take the SAT, ACT, or Both
- 99% Consider College "Worth It"
NEW YORK, March 4, 2025 -- Now through April is a nerve-racking stretch for the more than 1 million high school seniors and their parents receiving decisions about their college applications. According to a January 16 report from Common App, an organization that has more than 860 colleges among its member institutions, applications are up 7% this year (up 3% to private institutions and 11% to public institutions). Hopes spring eternal.
Stress about college applications is also very high this year, as are worries about paying for college, according to The Princeton Review® 2025 College Hopes & Worries Survey, the education service company's 23rd annual survey of college applicants and their parents.
The 2025 survey was conducted between January 17 and February 24 and completed online by 9,317 respondents: 75% (7,023) were applicants to colleges; 25% (2,294) were parents of applicants. Respondents hailed from all 50 U.S. states as well as Canada and several countries abroad. The survey had 20 questions, some of which have been asked annually since the survey debuted in 2003. (A few questions are added each year on current topics.) All but one present multiple-choice answers. Key findings of the 2025 survey follow.
A complete report on the 2025 survey showing all questions, answer choices, and findings by respondents overall, by students, and by parents is downloadable on PrincetonReview.com in the company's College Hopes & Worries Survey hub.
"Dream Colleges"
The first question on the survey—"What 'dream college' do you wish you (your child) could attend if acceptance and cost weren't issues?"—invited a fill-in-the-blank answer. Respondents entered in the names of more than 165 institutions as their "dream colleges." Among them were highly selective schools (including all the Ivies and many other well-known private colleges), flagship state universities, technology schools, nursing schools, and community colleges. Some schools were named by hundreds of respondents as their "dream college." Some by just one.
The 10 schools most named by students surveyed this year as their "dream college" were :
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard College (MA)
- Stanford University (CA)
- Princeton University (NJ)
- Yale University (CT)
- Columbia University (NY)
- New York University
- University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of California–Los Angeles
The 10 schools most named by parents surveyed this year as their "dream college" for their children were:
- Princeton University (NJ)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University (CA)
- Harvard College (MA)
- Yale University (CT)
- University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- Columbia University (NY)
- Duke University (NC)
- New York University
- University of Texas–Austin
Findings based on survey questions with multiple-choice answers indicate:
- Stress about college applications is high.
Asked their level of stress about their applications, 73% of respondents chose answers indicating it to be "High" or "Very high" with 44% selecting "High" and 29% selecting "Very high." In 2003, the first year of the survey, 56% of respondents reported "High" or "Very high" stress.
- The need for financial aid is very high.
Nearly all the respondents (98%) indicated they were planning to apply for financial aid. Asked how necessary financial aid will be to pay for college, nearly half (48%) chose the answer "Extremely" while 29% chose the answer "Very." Almost two out of 10 (18%) chose the answer "Somewhat." Only 5% said aid would be "Minimally" necessary. In responses to a separate survey question that asked their estimates of the cost for their (their child's) college education, the plurality (38%) selected the answer "More than $150,000."
- Debt is the major worry.
Asked their biggest concern about their applications, the plurality (38%) of respondents chose the answer "Level of debt to pay for the degree." Significantly fewer (29%) chose the answer "Won't get into first-choice college" (although more parents (36%) than students (27%) chose this answer). About a quarter of respondents (26%) chose the answer "Will get into first-choice college but won't be able to afford to attend" and just 7% chose "Will attend a college I (my child) will not be happy about." Note: in 2003, only 6% of respondents chose the answer "Level of debt to pay for the degree" while the majority (52%) selected the answer "Won't get into first-choice college."
- Nine out of 10 respondents said they (their child) had taken or was planning to take the SAT® and/or the ACT®.
Asked their (their child's) admission test-taking plans), 92% of respondents said they (their child) had taken or planned to take the SAT and/or the ACT. Asked their main reason for taking the tests (given that most colleges are now test-optional), nearly half (47%) chose the answer "Scores can distinguish my applications and improve their chances of being accepted." A third (33%) chose the answer "Scores are considered in scholarship and aid decisions," and 20% chose the answer "Scores may be required by the college I am (my child is) applying to."
- The SAT is more popular than the ACT.
Asked which admission test(s) they (or their child) had taken or planned to take, 48% selected the answer "SAT," while 11% chose the answer "ACT." However, a third (33%) of respondents chose the answer "Both tests"— 4% higher than the 29% that chose this answer on the 2024 survey.
- The SAT, ACT, and AP® transitions to digital tests are viewed as improvements.
Asked their opinion about standardized tests transitioning from paper-and-pencil to digital formats, 72% of respondents chose the answer "I welcome this change and believe digital versions will be improvements" while 28% chose the answer "I would prefer to see these exams remain paper-and-pencil tests." (The SAT became a digital test in March 2024. The ACT will be offered in both digital and paper-and-pencil formats beginning in April. In May, 28 of the AP subject tests will be administered as digital tests.)
- Key benefit of earning a college degree? A better job and higher income.
Asked what they consider the major benefit of earning a college degree, nearly half (46%) of respondents chose the answer "Potentially better job and income," while 29% chose "Exposure to new ideas, places and people," and 25% chose "The education."
- Key characteristic of the college applicants will choose? "Overall fit."
Asked what best describes the college they are (their child is) likely to choose, nearly half (47%) of respondents selected the answer "College that will be the best overall fit," while nearly a third (32%) said "College with the best program for my (my child's) career interests." Only 11% chose "College that will be most affordable" and only 10% chose "College with the best academic reputation."
- Distance from home of "ideal" college? Parents and students differ.
Asked how far from home their (their child's) "ideal" college would be, while the plurality (39%) of respondents selected the answer "Fewer than 250 miles," opinions about this differed considerably (and to some extent: touchingly). Among parents, 50% chose "Fewer than 250 miles." Among students, 35% chose that answer. Since 2007, when this question was added to the survey, the majority of students surveyed have hoped to attend schools further from home, while the majority of parents surveyed have hoped their children will attend schools nearer the family nest.
- Is college worth it? Yes, say 99%.
Asked simply if they believe college will be "worth it," 99% of respondents overall chose the answer "Yes."
Other questions on the survey, and answer choices selected by the plurality of respondents overall on them, were:
- Number of colleges they were applying to? ("5 to 8"–39%)
- Toughest part of their application experiences? ("Completing admission and aid applications"–35%)
- Opinions about the use of AI in applications and admissions? ("Both concerned and excited"–49% Note: 32% reported "Concerned" and 13% reported "Excited.")
The 2025 survey was promoted via social media channels, and emails to college admissions advisors/counselors and users of The Princeton Review's college-related resources. A paper version of the survey and a link to the online survey was published in the company's guidebook, The Best 390 Colleges (2025 Edition August 2024). A survey sweepstakes prize of $3,500 will shortly be awarded to one entrant selected at random.
Advice from Respondents
An optional survey question asks respondents their advice for next year's applicants and parents. The advice most proffered by students and parents alike on the 2025 survey (as well as on all 22 past surveys) was "Start early."
Students offered these gems: "Listen to what your kid has to say." "It is not the college that makes the student, it is what the student does with their education." "Understand that for some schools that are very hard to get into it's almost like a lottery system, so don't take anything personally!" "Rejection is just re-direction." "If hundreds of thousands of high schoolers can get through this, you can too."
Parents provided these wise words: "Don't forget to enjoy this journey with your child." "Let your child guide the process. It's their path and you're a guide." "Pick the college that will make them better people. The fit of a school is more important than the name of the school."
Samplers of the best advice from surveyed students and parents are on PrincetonReview.com here.
"We are truly grateful to the 235,000+ applicants and parents that have participated in our College Hopes & Worries survey over the years," said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review. "Their feedback on their application experiences has provided important insights not only for our company but for all who are dedicated to helping students identify and gain admission to their 'best fit' colleges. To all the students who participated in our 2025 survey and who will be heading off to college this summer/fall, we say 'Congrats, and Bravo. Application job well done. The colleges are lucky to have you!'"
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a line of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. The company's Tutor.com brand, now in its 24th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 28 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company's Media Center. Follow the company on X (formerly Twitter) (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).
SAT® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse The Princeton Review.
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WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com
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