What do university students learn?

This article summarizes some of the more important investigations into the impact of postsecondary education on desired learning and personal outcomes. On average, a wide range of benefits are associated with postsecondary education for everyone - men and women, students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, residential and commuter students at 2- and 4-year colleges, and so forth. These effects are cumulative and mutually shaping, with cognitive growth influenced by a variety of experiences and conditions on a campus, particularly when out-of-class climates and experiences complement and encourage students to integrate what they learn in class with their lives outside the classroom.