College Students Find WiFi Essential to Education, Survey Reports

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 10/07/08

Ninety percent of college students in the United States say WiFi access is as essential to education as classrooms and computers, and nearly three in five say they wouldn't go to a college that doesn't have free WiFi, according to a survey by the WiFi Alliance and Wakefield Research. What's more, 79 percent said that without WiFi access, college would be a lot harder.

In conjunction with the WiFi Alliance, Wakefield Research surveyed 501 U.S. college students in September 2008. The WiFi alliance has a membership made up of companies involved in WiFi technology and services.

Other survey findings:

  • If forced to choose, the survey reported, nearly half of respondents (48 percent) would give up beer before giving up WiFi;
  • Seventy-two percent would rather wear their school's rival's team colors for a day;
  • More than two in five (44 percent) used WiFi to get a head start on an assignment before a class was finished;
  • More than half have checked Facebook or MySpace and sent or received e-mail while using their laptop in class. Just under half sent instant messages to a friend during class;
  • Many students reported that the availability of WiFi influences their choice of coffee shop (52 percent), bookstore (42 percent), and restaurant (33 percent).

"WiFi is expected as part of today's campus experience both from an educational perspective as well as from a social perspective. Students expect WiFi so that they can learn anytime and anywhere on campus as well as always be available for friends and family," said Stan Schatt, vice president and research director at ABI Research. "We expect to see WiFi penetration in U.S. universities at 99 percent by 2013."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Launches Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has introduced a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Report: Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report from Fortinet, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.