Declining Study Time Signals Falling Standards, Report Says

The amount of time spent studying has fallen drastically among full-time students in all demographic groups, whether they work or not, at all types of four-year colleges, according to a report released on Thursday by the American Enterprise Institute. The report, “Leisure College, USA,” cites data from various national surveys to show that the average student studied 24 hours a week in 1961 and 14 hours a week in 2003. Colleges’ “standards for effort have plummeted” as they cater to students’ preferences for leisure, the report says, a shift that may slow economic growth. But there’s good news: “College is cheaper than most people think.” Modern college students’ time savings, the report says, more than compensate for increased tuition.