Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
When it comes to student preferences in terms of job benefits, there have been standards that appear at the top of the list every year: 100 percent employer-paid medical insurance, company-matched 401(k) plans, and guaranteed annual salary increases.
In general, respondents to the 2018 Student Survey cited the same benefits. Overall, students most desired company-matched 401(k) plans, dental insurance, 100 percent employer-paid medical insurance, life insurance, and family-friendly benefits. (See Figure 1.)
However, because the 2018 Student Survey includes data for all classes at the bachelor’s degree level, it is possible to see how preferences differ. For example, the senior class was the only class to rank family-friendly benefits above life insurance, dropping the latter down to their fifth-ranked benefit. Seniors were also the only class to match the overall in terms of top three benefits in the same ranking of importance. Life insurance was deemed the most important benefit by freshmen and the second most important by sophomores.
The 2018 Student Survey Report details the attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes for bachelor’s degree students at all class levels. (Note: Previous reports provided data only on graduating seniors.) The focus of this report is the 22,109 bachelor’s degree students from the 2017-18 academic school year (July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018). Breakdowns by class level are as follows: 4,336 freshmen, 4,174 sophomores, 5,709 juniors, and 7,890 graduating seniors. Data collection took place from February 14, 2018, to April 30, 2018. The 2018 Student Survey Report will be released this fall.
Figure 1: Percent of employee benefits rated “very” to “extremely” important, by class level
| Benefit |
Overall |
Senior |
Junior |
Sophomore |
Freshman |
| Company-matched 401(k) |
67.2% |
68.2% |
68.7% |
65.4% |
63.6% |
| Dental insurance |
64.6% |
66.8% |
64.3% |
63.7% |
61.0% |
| 100% employer-paid medical insurance |
63.5% |
63.5% |
64.5% |
63.1% |
62.1% |
| Life insurance |
63.0% |
60.1% |
64.0% |
65.0% |
66.4% |
| Family-friendly benefits |
62.1% |
61.2% |
62.5% |
63.3% |
62.2% |
| Guaranteed annual salary increase |
59.3% |
60.8% |
59.4% |
56.6% |
58.5% |
| Tuition reimbursement |
57.8% |
58.2% |
59.0% |
56.6% |
56.3% |
| Bonus/commission plan |
42.8% |
41.1% |
43.4% |
42.3% |
46.5% |
| More than 2 weeks of vacation/PTO first year of work |
40.5% |
42.9% |
40.4% |
37.1% |
38.4% |
| Flextime policy |
40.3% |
41.1% |
40.5% |
39.6% |
38.3% |
| Frequent performance reviews |
33.0% |
34.4% |
33.6% |
30.8% |
31.2% |
| Employee assistance program |
32.2% |
32.4% |
33.4% |
31.5% |
30.5% |
| Telecommuting option |
27.3% |
28.6% |
27.4% |
25.5% |
25.9% |
| Casual dress policy |
24.1% |
25.2% |
23.3% |
23.3% |
23.5% |
| On-site fitness center |
19.3% |
19.9% |
20.3% |
17.7% |
18.0% |
| On-site day care facilities |
18.2% |
16.9% |
19.0% |
18.5% |
19.8% |
Source: 2018 Student Survey Report, National Association of Colleges and Employers