By: Xiaodong Wu, Yang Song and members of the GNX team
Abstract
Public trust in higher education is wobbling, but it is not gone. Families want straight answers on price, time to finish, and what graduates actually earn; students want steady rules and learning that leads to real jobs. When schools publish clear outcomes, set predictable calendars for permits and funding, and make paid experience part of the deal, confidence returns. Protect the independence of research and show its local impact, and trust starts to grow again, slowly, then steadily (Bogost, 2025; Universities Canada, 2025).
Trust in higher education is wobbling but can be rebuilt with clarity on value and steadier rules.
Families ask if a degree still pays. Students ask if campuses will keep them safe and set them up for real jobs. Policymakers ask if universities are focused on research and the public good. That trust has frayed. In the United States it has been shaken by political fights over science and campus governance (Bogost, 2025). In Canada it is strained by sudden policy swings on international students and funding (IRCC, 2025a; Universities Canada, 2024). While the trust has not disappeared, it needs to be rebuilt with clarity about value and steadier rules.
High costs, politics, and funding shocks are shaking confidence at home and abroad.
Many students now see college as a high-cost bet. They feel the risk sits with them while institutions feel distant and slow to change. Confidence in the research mission and the campus experience dips when national headlines suggest labs and budgets are targets (Bogost, 2025; Sudermann, 2023).
In Canada, the picture is different but linked. International students help fund programs and labs. New national caps on study permits and rapid allocation changes have hit enrolment and budgets, forcing offers and plans to be reworked mid-cycle (IRCC, 2025a). When universities cut staff or programs, students question value and stability. Provinces have tried tuition measures and targeted operating support, but uncertainty lingers (Universities Canada, 2025).
Globally, families now compare the total package across countries: visa rules, permitted work hours, and post-graduation options. Those policy signals shape whether learners trust that a degree will translate into a job and a life (IRCC, 2024).
Volatile rules, unclear outcomes, and fairness concerns push students to think twice.
Constant rule changes make planning hard in both directions: students need predictability, and registrars need lead time (IRCC, 2025a). People also want straight answers. What will I learn? Who will teach me? What do graduates earn? When those answers are buried in marketing pages, confidence slips. The push is growing for simple, comparable outcome pages: the U.S. College Scorecard for national comparability, Ontario’s graduate outcomes for salary and employment snapshots, and campus-level dashboards that are updated on a fixed calendar (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.; Ontario MCIU, 2024).
Fairness matters too. From admissions debates to campus speech and safety, students watch how schools act when values collide. Even when a school does the work, perception can outrun the facts. Clear standards, transparent processes, and timely communication help.
Skills, networks, research, and predictable pathways keep many students enrolling.
The core promise remains: learning that builds skills, networks that open doors, and research that improves lives (Universities Canada, 2025). Students notice when co-ops, internships, and labs connect clearly to work. Institutions that scale work-integrated learning and publish placement performance make value visible. For example, Northeastern reports high major-related employment soon after graduation, and Waterloo publishes term-by-term co-op placement rates (Northeastern University, n.d.; University of Waterloo, n.d.).
Design choices also matter. Georgia State University’s mix of predictive analytics and proactive advising improved completion and narrowed equity gaps by intervening early when risk indicators appear (Georgia State University, n.d.). Pricing signals matter as well: Purdue’s long tuition freeze is a visible affordability commitment paired with operational discipline and targeted investments (Purdue University, n.d.).
Predictable rules are essential for international students. Clear limits for work while studying and transparent post-graduation options send a steady signal. When policies are consistent and publication dates are reliable, expectations match outcomes and trust rises (IRCC, 2024, 2025a).
What now?
Begin with price and results.
Put the cost and usual time to finish on one page for each program. Add what graduates are doing one year and three years out: working where and earning what. Update it annually. Keep the page clean and the fine print short. Templates exist: College Scorecard style comparability, Ontario’s outcomes snapshots, and campus dashboards with program-level data (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.; Ontario MCIU, 2024).
Make the rules predictable.
Set the calendar and stick to it. Announce permit caps and allocations early. If work hours or intake targets will change, say when and why, and tie those choices to housing, advising, and placement capacity so people can plan rather than guess (IRCC, 2025a).
Raise the floor for students.
Offer paid, for-credit work as the norm. Start with students who carry more risk, including first-generation and international learners. Publish placement rates and quality metrics by term, and audit them for accuracy (University of Waterloo, n.d.; Northeastern University, n.d.).
Protect the independence of research and show its local impact.
Put independence in writing and publish a simple registry of partnerships and conflicts. Then connect the dots for the public: cleaner water, safer crops, faster diagnostics, better jobs. Stable, transparent frameworks help universities deliver those outcomes (Universities Canada, 2024, 2025).
Brief case sketches
- Affordability signal. Purdue’s tuition freeze demonstrates transparent pricing tied to operational discipline (Purdue University, n.d.).
- Completion and equity. Georgia State’s proactive advising and analytics are associated with higher graduation and narrowed gaps (Georgia State University, n.d.).
- Work-integrated learning at scale. Northeastern and Waterloo make placement performance public and program-specific (Northeastern University, n.d.; University of Waterloo, n.d.).
- Outcome transparency template. College Scorecard and Ontario outcomes show how to publish comparable data on a set schedule (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.; Ontario MCIU, 2024).
Further reading
- Two thirds of students in England and Wales say university is poor value for money (context for price and value debates).
- Is college worth it? Americans hold mixed views on the value of college (national U.S. sentiment).
- Public trust in U.S. higher education is rising from a recent low (directional shift in sentiment).
References
Bogost, I. (2025, February 10). A new kind of crisis for American universities. The Atlantic.
Georgia State University. (n.d.). Student success initiatives and outcomes. https://success.gsu.edu
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2024, November 8). Work off campus as an international student. https://www.canada.ca
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2025, January 24). 2025 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap. https://www.canada.ca
Northeastern University. (n.d.). Career outcomes and co-op overview. https://www.northeastern.edu
Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. (2024). Ontario graduate outcomes: Employment and earnings. https://www.ontario.ca
Purdue University. (n.d.). Tuition freeze and affordability overview. https://www.purdue.edu
Sudermann, H. (2023, March). In a challenging time for higher education, the UW and other institutions try to restore public trust. University of Washington Magazine.
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). College Scorecard. https://collegescorecard.ed.gov
Universities Canada. (2024, December 19). Submission to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. https://univcan.ca
Universities Canada. (2025, July 24). It is time we treat campus infrastructure as a nation-building project. https://univcan.ca
University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Co-op employment rates and outcomes. https://uwaterloo.ca