The Typical College Student Is Not Who You Think

As a fight over the future of elite higher education consumes university leaders and politicians, most college students live in a very different world with very different challenges.

Community College

• 43 percent of undergraduates attend community college
• About 75 percent of community college students are enrolled part time

Demographics

• 1.4 million undergraduate students with children are single mothers
• 9 % of US undergraduate population
• 25 percent of all undergraduate students live with their parents
• Only 16 % live on campus

Online Learning

• 10.3 million students take at least some classes online
• 26 percent of students take classes exclusively online
• up from 11% 10 years ago.

Student Debt

• The average student is $19,000 in debt
• Up from $13,000 two decades ago, with adjustments for inflation
• 10.8 million students owe more than $44,000
• Two-thirds of student loan debt belong to women
• Black women have the highest debt load, with an average of $33,000.
• 3 X  the amount  of white men are carrying, and $15,000 more than white women
• About a third of all undergraduate students received a Pell Grant

Success

• 41 million people (12% of the US Population) attended college but never graduated

Blinder, A. (2025, August 25). The Typical College Student is Not Who You Think. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/us/us-typical-college-student.html?unlocked_article_code=1.g08.-Fff.cnL2cbdddkMB&smid=url-share

“Does no significant improvement in academic performance justify a $150 textbook?”

Two articles regarding efficacy of OER materials.  The title of this post comes from a quote referenced in the conclusion of the second article.

Efficacy of Open Textbook Adoption on Learning Performanceand Course Withdrawal Rates: A Meta-Analysis

Open textbooks have been developed in response to rising commercial textbook costs and copyright constraints. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine open textbooks with varied findings. The purpose of this study is to meta-analyze the findings of studies of postsecondary students comparing learning performance and course withdrawal rates between open and commercial textbooks. Based on a systematic search of research findings, there were no differences in learning efficacy between open textbooks and commercial textbooks (k = 22, g = 0.01, p = .87, N = 100,012). However, the withdrawal rate for postsecondary courses with open textbooks was significantly lower than that for commercial textbooks (k = 11, OR (odds ratio) = 0.71, p = .005, N = 78,593). No significant moderators were identified. Limitations and future directions for research, such as a need for more work in K–12 education, outside of North America, and that better examine student characteristics, are discussed.

Open educational resources, student efficacy, and userperceptions: a synthesis of research published between 2015 and 2018

Although textbooks are a traditional component in many higher education contexts, their increasing price have led many students to forgo purchasing them and some faculty to seek substitutes. One such alternative is open educational resources (OER). This present study synthesizes results from sixteen efficacy and twenty perceptions studies involving 121,168 students or faculty that examine either (1) OER and student efficacy in higher education settings or (2) the perceptions of college students and/or instructors who have used OER. Results across these studies suggest students achieve the same or better learning outcomes when using OER while saving significant amounts of money. The results also indicate that the majority of faculty and students who have used OER had a positive experience and would do so again.

The impact of open educational resources on various student success metrics

Abstract

There are multiple indicators which suggest that completion, quality, and affordability are the three greatest challenges for higher education today in terms of students, student learning, and student success. Many colleges, universities, and state systems are seeking to adopt a portfolio of solutions that address these challenges. This article reports the results of a large-scale study (21,822 students) regarding the impact of course-level faculty adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER). Results indicate that OER adoption does much more than simply save students money and address student debt concerns. OER improve end-of-course grades and decrease DFW (D, F, and Withdrawal letter grades) rates for all students. They also improve course grades at greater rates and decrease DFW rates at greater rates for Pell recipient students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education. OER address affordability, completion, attainment gap concerns, and learning. These findings contribute to a broadening perception of the value of OERs and their relevance to the great challenges facing higher education today.

Colvard, N. B., Watson, C. E., & Park, H. (2018). The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student SuccessMetrics. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Volume 30, Number 2), pp. 262 – 276.