Stanford University would be the dream college for most American students and their parents if tuition and acceptance were not an issue, according to a new Princeton Review survey.
Among survey respondents, Stanford University, Harvard College and Princeton University ranked as the top top three dream colleges, respectively, the College Hopes & Worries Survey, released by the Princeton Review on Wednesday, found.
“In a fantasy scenario — if admission were automatic and cost inconsequential — the ‘dream’ college from which students and parents most wish they’d be getting the good news is Stanford University,” the company said in a statement.
For this year’s survey, 11,900 people from all 50 states and D.C. participated. Out of the total, 9,282 were college applicants and 2,618 were parents who responded to fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions.
The survey also found that 73 percent of respondents agreed that the college applications process is stressful, with 37 percent attributing standardized testing as the toughest aspect, and another 33 percent citing “completing applications for admission and financial aid” as the second toughest.
The biggest worry that respondents brought up in relation to attending college was “the level of debt to pay for the degree.” Moreover, 64 percent of survey participants said they see financial aid as extremely necessary to cover the costs of attending college.