Vanderbilt Unity Poll: Confidence in higher education rebounds, though affordability and political bias are still concerns

• Americans' confidence in and favorability toward colleges and universities has increased from recent lows.
• Americans across the political spectrum still are deeply concerned about the affordability of higher education, but many say colleges and universities produce important research and help prepare students for successful careers.
• The public shows a nuanced understanding of higher education, offering, for example, different views about community colleges than Ivy League institutions.
• Many Americans see political bias in higher education as a serious problem, and strong majorities across parties want universities to remain neutral on political issues.

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy recently conducted a national poll to gauge Americans' opinions on topics related to institutions of higher education, including their confidence in those institutions, their current relevance, federal policies targeting them and the principle of neutrality.

The probability-based poll was fielded from Sept. 5 to Sept. 8, 2025, reaching 1,030 American adults in English and Spanish. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

The results indicate that, despite frequent coverage of the escalating charges and accusations against institutions of higher education, Americans' have confidence in them - and that confidence is growing. Further, Americans believe colleges and universities have a positive effect on the state of the country.

"Higher education has undoubtedly been a primary concern for President Trump's administration. While headlines continue to cover alleged violations, shortcomings and biases, the public sentiment expressed in our poll is quite favorable toward colleges and universities," said John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll. "Certainly, people expressed areas of concern and viewed certain institutions as more problematic than others, but support for colleges and universities remains substantial, even in the midst of these many criticisms from Washington."

Perception of higher education is more positive than not

When asked to express their level of confidence in a variety of American institutions, the greatest percentage of survey respondents {49 percent} shared that they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the military. Confidence in higher education is only two percentage points lower at 47 percent, coming in ahead of the police {44 percent}, the medical system {38 percent} and, by a significant margin, large tech companies {25 percent}.

Because so many respondents report neutral opinions about these institutions; i.e., "some confidence," it is worthwhile to examine the difference between high and low confidence. Doing so reveals that confidence in the military has a net positive +33 rating {percent confident minus percent not confident}. Higher education scores similarly, with a +32 rating. The percentage who are net positive has increased 6 percentage points in the past six months and 13 percentage points since 2023.

Even looking at the opinions among partisan respondents, confidence in higher education is net positive. Among Democrats, there is a 48-percentage point difference in the percentage who express confidence {69 percent} and those who do not {21 percent}. Among Republicans, there is a 14 percentage point confidence gap {with 35 percent expressing confidence, 21 percent expressing a lack of confidence and the rest expressing "some" confidence}.

It is only among the 20 percent of the sample who say that they identify most with the Make America Great Again movement that confidence in higher education is slightly underwater-with 24 percent expressing confidence, 31 percent expressing a lack of confidence and the remaining 45 percent saying they have "some confidence."

The survey asks citizens more than whether they are confident or not in higher education. Seventy-eight percent believe that a college education is "very" or "somewhat" important for a young person to succeed, a 2 percentage point increase from the Unity Poll conducted in June 2025. Across party lines, support remains high, even though Democrats are more supportive than Republicans. Eighty-seven percent of Democrats and 68 percent of Republicans deem a college education "very" or "somewhat" important.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed also believe colleges and institutions are having a positive effect on society, but here polarization is more telling. A large majority of Democrats and, to a lesser degree, traditional Republicans, hold this view. Most notably, among MAGA Republicans, 65 percent feel colleges and universities are having a negative impact on the state of the country.

Where survey results become more nuanced is around the definition of "higher education" - a rather broad term. The survey asked the public to look beyond "higher education" and instead gather their assessments of different types of colleges and universities. This resulted in big differences in how favorable the public views these institutions are, in addition to major differences across party lines.

Forty-eight percent of respondents have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Ivy League institutions. In fact, the net favorability is +26, but those supportive numbers are driven by Democrats. Seventy-two percent of Democrats approve of the Ivy League, but only 33 percent of Republicans.

Universities from the Southeastern Conference score lower overall confidence from the public than the Ivies {40 percent compared with the 48 percent reported above}. But, importantly, SEC universities did not spark as polarized a response. Thirty-three percent of Democrats express a favorable view, along with 51 percent of Republicans.

Community colleges receive the highest confidence at 70 percent, perhaps reflecting local loyalties to these schools. It is also true that community colleges have largely avoided the controversies embroiling larger, wealthier institutions. The public also shows little love for "for-profit" universities, with about one quarter expressing a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of these institutions.

Americans see strengths in research and career training, weaknesses in affordability and political bias

Affordability is the public's biggest worry about higher education, but Americans also see clear strengths in what colleges and universities deliver. A majority {56 percent} express confidence in their ability to conduct scientific and medical research that saves lives - more than four times the share who lack confidence {+46 net}. Nearly half {45 percent} also believe colleges produce important research in the humanities and social sciences {+28 net}.

There is also broad faith that colleges prepare students for successful careers {40 percent, +22 net} and teach them to be critical thinkers {40 percent, +15 net}. At the same time, the public is far less convinced that colleges teach students without political bias {28 percent confident, -9 net} and they are especially doubtful about affordability, with just 14 percent expressing confidence compared to 62 percent who do not {-48 net}. In short, Americans value the research and teaching that colleges provide, but believe affordability and neutrality remain pressing shortcomings.

"While the conventional wisdom may suggest that support for colleges and universities is low, it's important to highlight that most Americans view higher education as a net positive for society, and its support has actually increased from the low levels we saw in 2023 and 2024," said Josh Clinton, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll. "Yes, there are real concerns-most people think affordability is a major problem, and many perceive colleges and universities as having a partisan slant-but that's very different from widespread opposition to the idea of higher education itself."

"Public opinion can be nuanced," Clinton continued. "People may be critical of certain aspects of an institution, while still recognizing its fundamental importance. Many Americans have concerns about large tech companies, for example, but most also still believe they are essential to the country's future. Higher education is no different."

Political neutrality still a sticking point

Concerns about political bias are widespread, but also nuanced. Two-thirds of Americans {67 percent} say ideological or political bias is a "very" or "somewhat" serious problem at colleges and universities. Among those who see bias, nearly 40 percent believe it is an issue at "many, but not most" institutions, while 35 percent say it affects "most" schools. Only a small minority confine the problem to a handful of elite colleges.

There is also broad recognition of what neutrality should look like. When asked whether universities should take official positions on controversial political issues, the public's answer was clear: 71 percent say they should not. This strong preference for institutional neutrality cuts across party lines: 83 percent of Republicans and 59 percent of Democrats all agree that universities should stay out of political debates.

Although many Americans believe bias exists on campuses, they do not see the classroom as the main source of higher education's problems. Far more people locate blame on the decisions made by administrators {43 percent} than what is being taught in the classroom {16 percent}. This helps explain public support for institutional neutrality-even as they express doubts about political bias, Americans expect colleges and universities as institutions to remain above partisan battles.

There are sharp partisan differences when it comes to the perception of political bias. A slim majority of Democrats {54 percent} say bias is a serious problem, compared with 79 percent of Republicans and 91 percent of those who identify most with the MAGA movement. Among the latter, many also believe bias is pervasive-with a majority saying it is present in most or nearly all colleges and universities.

When asked more directly about whether colleges give a balanced view of the nation's problems, 43 percent say that colleges do not give the same importance to the views of right wing or conservative leaders as they do to left wing or liberal leaders. The remaining 57 percent are nearly evenly split, disagreeing with that statement or indicating they have no opinion on it. Unsurprisingly, there are huge partisan differences in opinion: 71 percent of Republicans think this, compared with 38 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats. Interestingly, only 32 percent thought this when asked the same question in 1970 by Gallup, suggesting that colleges are perceived to be more politicized than during those tumultuous times. But it is also important to note that this concern in general about bias has been part of the national conversation for decades.

Together, these results highlight a clear tension: While only 28 percent of Americans express confidence that colleges teach without political bias, strong majorities across party lines still expect institutions to remain neutral on political controversies. That mix of skepticism and expectation underscores how difficult it will be for colleges to persuade the public that they are neutral arbiters in a polarized environment.

About The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to generating, curating and disseminating evidence-based knowledge about how to heal societal divisions. The project aims to replace contempt and polarization with respect and collaboration, strengthening the core of American democracy by bringing together leading scholars, political leaders and practitioners. The project is committed to rigorous research and its practical application to empower individuals and communities to bridge divides. More at vanderbilt.edu/unity.