Parents Want Alternatives to 4-Year College

A new survey by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Gallup, released today, finds that many parents want alternatives to college for their children. Fifty-four percent of parents wish their high school graduate would attend a four-year college (highest among Black families, at 67 percent) versus 46 percent who would prefer their child pursue alternatives, including community college (8 percent), skills training programs (16 percent) and options such as the military or a paid job (22 percent). And 84 percent of parents of current middle and high school students say they are “satisfied” with a four-year college, two-year college or technical training program as options, yet 45 percent say they wish more alternatives were available.