Students with community goals are most likely to join high-impact college programs

By AI, Created 8:56 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – A new survey from the LearningWell Coalition, AAC&U and Morning Consult finds that undergraduates motivated by personal growth or giving back are more likely to take part in high-impact practices such as mentorship, internships and service-learning. Those students also report higher wellbeing, suggesting colleges may widen participation by reaching students with stronger internal or community-focused goals.

Why it matters: - Students’ reasons for going to college are linked to whether they take part in high-impact practices, which are associated with better wellbeing. - Colleges that want broader participation in mentorship, internships and service-learning may need to reach students whose motivations are not mainly career-driven. - The findings suggest student motivation can shape both the college experience and downstream outcomes.

What happened: - The LearningWell Coalition, in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Morning Consult, released the second report in its new survey series, What Students Value in College. - The survey covered 872 undergraduate students. - The report examines students’ reasons for attending college and their participation in high-impact practices, or HIPs. - HIPs in the survey include mentorship, internships, service-learning, research with faculty, learning communities and study abroad.

The details: - The survey groups students into four motivation types: community-oriented, growth-oriented, career-oriented and externally-oriented. - Community-oriented students say they attend college to give back to their community. - Growth-oriented students are driven by learning, personal growth, identity development and understanding what they are good at. - Career-oriented students focus on getting a good job and advancing their careers. - Externally-oriented students cite affordability or family and societal expectations. - Community-oriented students report the strongest participation across nearly all HIPs. - In that group, 74 percent participate in internships, 86 percent in mentorship, 78 percent in service-learning, 67 percent in research with faculty and 46 percent in study abroad. - Only 3 percent of respondents name giving back to the community as their top reason for college, though 23 percent rank it among their top three reasons. - Growth-oriented students also show high participation in HIPs. - Among students motivated by personal growth, 71 percent participate in mentorship and 62 percent in service-learning. - Among students motivated by learning, 51 percent participate in mentorship and 45 percent in service-learning. - Among students motivated by identity development, 55 percent participate in mentorship and 53 percent in service-learning. - Career-oriented students show more mixed participation. - In that group, 39 percent participate in internships, 49 percent in mentorship, 64 percent in learning communities and 43 percent in service-learning. - The report uses the PERMA framework to measure wellbeing. - Overall average wellbeing across students is 6.88. - Community-oriented students report the highest average wellbeing at 7.95. - Students motivated to grow as a person report an average wellbeing score of 7.02. - Students motivated to support their family report an average wellbeing score of 7.00. - Students motivated by learning and gaining knowledge report an average wellbeing score of 6.93. - Students focused on getting a good job report an average wellbeing score of 6.90.

Between the lines: - The report suggests that internally driven and community-minded students may be more likely to seek out the kinds of college experiences that build connections, skills and a sense of purpose. - Career goals alone do not appear to predict the same level of engagement across all HIPs. - For institutions, the pattern points to a practical strategy: increase access to valued experiential programs and make those programs more visible to students with different motivations.

What’s next: - LearningWell says survey methods and both reports are available at more information. - Colleges and universities can use the findings to shape outreach, advising and program design around the students most likely to benefit from HIPs. - The survey series will likely continue to inform how higher education links motivation, engagement and wellbeing.

The bottom line: - Students who come to college to grow, contribute and connect are the ones most likely to take part in high-impact practices — and they report the strongest wellbeing scores.