University research focuses on improving Idaho’s Go-On rate

Financial considerations appear to be the main reason nearly half of all Idaho high school seniors are not enrolling in post-secondary education. Those were among the results of a University of Idaho study commissioned by UI President Chuck Staben.

The study found immediate financial needs were one of the main reasons graduates cited for not enrolling in post-secondary education. Researchers said it may also explain why more females than males to “go on”. 53 percent of females and 38 percent of males in the 2014 graduating class were enrolled in the spring of 2015.

Staben said the research would help the university understand the challenges it faces.. “We are deeply invested in addressing this issue, and this study gives us up-to-date information to create effective policy and guide decision-making, as one key part of continuing to build an educated and prosperous Idaho, ” said Staben.

Key findings from the study include:

More females than males are enrolling in postsecondary education. This is true among the McClure Center survey respondents, in Idaho generally and in the U.S. as a whole.
Males and females think differently about life after high school. Among survey respondents, a higher percentage of males than females said the most important thing in deciding about life after high school was “making money.” In contrast, more females than males cited “expanding horizons” as their most important consideration.
Not all young adults in Idaho believe postsecondary education pays off. Only two-thirds of survey respondents strongly agreed that more education would help them get a better job. The rest had at least some doubt.

“This study is the first systematic effort to understand how Idaho’s young adults decide what to do after high school,” said Priscilla Salant, lead researcher on the study and McClure Center director. “We know that a relatively small share of high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education, and now we can begin to explain why that’s the case.”

The James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research plans to tackle affordability and college preparation in its next report.