What Do College Students Do All Day? The Answer Isn't Studying. Issue Brief

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Bibliographic Details
Title: What Do College Students Do All Day? The Answer Isn't Studying. Issue Brief
Language: English
Authors: Frederick M. Hess, Greg Fournier, Manhattan Institute (MI)
Source: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2025.
Availability: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: College Students, Study Habits, Student Behavior, Time Management, Expectation, Grade Inflation, Assignments, College Role, College Faculty, Teacher Role, Grading, Accountability
Abstract: American colleges and universities are being scrutinized as never before. From rising tuition costs and allegations of plagiarism at the highest levels to concerns about low rates of completion and the state of free inquiry on campus, four-year colleges in the U.S. are under the microscope. Yet one crucial issue that is too rarely accorded the attention that it deserves is simply what colleges expect of their students. Students spend far less time studying than they used to, with full-time students reporting 20-25 combined hours in class and doing schoolwork. American colleges need to reset their expectations for students. Full-time students should expect to devote a full 35-hour week to their classes and related studies. Boards of governors and campus trustees have a vital role in resetting this expectation and helping colleges put it into practice.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED676203
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:American colleges and universities are being scrutinized as never before. From rising tuition costs and allegations of plagiarism at the highest levels to concerns about low rates of completion and the state of free inquiry on campus, four-year colleges in the U.S. are under the microscope. Yet one crucial issue that is too rarely accorded the attention that it deserves is simply what colleges expect of their students. Students spend far less time studying than they used to, with full-time students reporting 20-25 combined hours in class and doing schoolwork. American colleges need to reset their expectations for students. Full-time students should expect to devote a full 35-hour week to their classes and related studies. Boards of governors and campus trustees have a vital role in resetting this expectation and helping colleges put it into practice.