Traditional Students Less Satisfied Than Adult and Online Learners, According to National Study

  • 11/27/17

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Traditional students show lower satisfaction with their college experience than online and adult learners, according to a new national satisfaction report from Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), a provider of higher education enrollment management, student success, and fundraising solutions. Sixty-seven percent of adult learners and 74 percent of online learners reported they were satisfied with their experience overall compared to just over 50 percent of students at four-year public and private institutions and 64 percent of students at two-year public schools.

The 2017 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report also revealed that between 56 percent and 75 percent of students indicated that they would be likely to re-enroll at the institution they were attending, with more online learners reporting they would re-enroll compared to other students.

The 2017 report is based on survey responses from more than 600,000 traditional-age, adult, and online learners attending nearly 1,000 two-year, four-year, public, and private institutions.
Included in the report are:

  • Students’ overall satisfaction levels, reported separately for two-year and four-year, public and private institutions, as well as for nontraditional adults and online learners
  • Areas of strength identified by students
  • Students’ calls for improvement encompassing specific aspects of registration, instruction, admissions, financial aid, campus climate, and campus safety
  • Top factors in students’ original decisions to enroll, for recruitment and strategic planning

According to Patricia Maben, senior vice president of product strategy, “Student outcomes are a high priority for colleges and universities across the country, and understanding the satisfaction levels of students helps position colleges to better focus their resources to improve student success on their campuses—whether that experience is on a physical campus or online.”
RNL Satisfaction-Priorities Surveys provide colleges and universities with actionable, prioritized data for strategic institutional planning, student retention and completion, re-accreditation, and student recruitment and marketing. Students completed the surveys over a three-year period, 2014-17.

To read the full report, visit www.RuffaloNL.com/benchmark

About Ruffalo Noel Levitz
Ruffalo Noel Levitz provides higher education enrollment, student success, and fundraising solutions. More than 1,900 colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations rely on RNL for advanced analytics, personalized engagement, and industry-leading insights to achieve their missions. Visit www.RuffaloNL.com.

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