“How America Pays for College 2026” Finds Overwhelming Majority of Families Continue to View College as a Valuable Investment and More Than 8 in 10 Are Confident in How They Paid for It

“How America Pays for College 2026” Finds Overwhelming Majority of Families Continue to View College as a Valuable Investment and More Than 8 in 10 Are Confident in How They Paid for It

Families Reported Spending More on Higher Education Last Year Relying on a Mix of Income and Savings, Scholarships and Grants, and Borrowing

Nearly Six in 10 Families Say They Have a Plan to Pay for All Years of College; Misconceptions Around Scholarships and the FAFSA Lead to Missed Opportunities to Make Higher Education More Affordable

Nine in 10 families (91%) view higher education as a valuable investment and 84% are confident they made the right financial decisions to pay for it, according to “How America Pays for College 2026,” the annual national study by Sallie and Ipsos.

How Do Families Pay for College?