In 2014, Laureate International Universities and Zogby Analytics partnered to conduct the largest survey ever of student attitudes towards higher education: The 2014 Laureate/Zogby University of the Future Student Survey. In 2015, Laureate and Zogby introduce a groundbreaking index to track student attitudes about the future of higher education over time and across geographical region – The 2015 Laureate/Zogby Student Confidence Index.

The 2015 Laureate/Zogby Student Survey includes responses of more than 23,000 Laureate students and more than 4,000 non-Laureate students in 22 countries and provides unique insights on students’ perceptions of their education systems. The 2015 survey provides the most comprehensive study of student perspectives on international higher education that has ever been conducted.

The 2015 survey found that students worldwide are optimistic that their education is leading them toward a bright future. More than 75 percent of students surveyed believe that their course of study will give them the career skills to succeed. Additionally, a majority of respondents believe future career and life prospects will be even better for students in the future.

The survey also found a near-consensus among students around the world (93 percent) that universities should work directly with employers to help teach students the soft skills they need to be successful.

When asked about the types of changes that must be made to teach soft skills, two-thirds of the students responded that innovations in higher education — like career-oriented education, lifelong learning, paid apprenticeships and courses taught by employers — would help them achieve their career goals.

On the basis of 2015’s survey, Laureate and Zogby developed the first-of-its-kind global Student Confidence Index, a two-part index that tracks student attitudes on the current state of higher education and its future. Both indices demonstrated that most students worldwide are confident that their education systems provide a quality education today and for the future. Students in China (70 percent), India (69 percent) and Brazil (53 percent), all believed that innovations in higher education will occur in ways that will benefit future students. However, students in some European countries were less optimistic—including Germany (20 percent), Italy (23 percent) and France (29 percent) — about the ability of their education system to foster education innovation and generate better employment and life outcomes.

Laureate students were generally more confident than students outside of the Laureate network (53 percent to 44 percent) regarding the quality of higher education in their respective country.

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