Good afternoon.

In 2015, about-two thirds of Americans had “a great deal" or “quite a lot” of trust in higher education, according to an annual Gallup poll. In 2025, this poll showed that confidence dwindled to about 42%, a slight increase from the previous year.

But what’s driving that trend? In the past three months, three separate organizations have released reports focused on the public’s trust in higher education.

Taken together, these studies paint a picture of a higher education sector that’s grappling with shrinking public confidence and looking to find strategies that help more Americans see the value of going to college.

For higher education leaders, the value in their work seems obvious. For example, graduates are more likely to earn higher wages, be more civically engaged, and have better access to healthcare.

But a Yale University report released in April shows that the value of higher education has always been something colleges and universities must prove to the public.

And there’s widespread uncertainty about the purpose and mission of higher education, the report says. Key reasons include cost, difficult admissions processes, and questions about what’s taught on campus, such as matters of free speech, political bias, and self-censorship, according to the report.

Another report by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, a foundation aimed at strengthening civic engagement and democracy, seeks to explain who skeptics and supporters of higher education are.

The report shows Americans trust their local college more than the higher education sector as a whole. It also says that more than half of all Americans could see the value of higher education if the sector addresses challenges that affect communities the most, such as helping make it easier to enter the workforce and collaborating on other local challenges.

Finally, a report from the American Association of Colleges & Universities tries to provide a framework for advancing that trust. The report says the unifying theme is “a need for increased and meaningful connection in higher education — between campuses and their communities; among faculty, staff, students, and administrators; across institutions; and with society as a whole.”

Other key recommendations from these reports include connecting the college experience to the workforce; focusing on local community outcomes; making higher education more affordable; and creating an easier undergraduate admissions process.

Check out these reports and let us know what you think. How can higher education regain trust from more Americans? You can reach me at [email protected].

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