In a striking turn of academic findings, a new meta-analysis has concluded that the intellectual prowess of undergraduate students, once considered above average, has now dipped to average levels. The study, spearheaded by a team of researchers, dispels the long-held belief that university students possess substantially higher IQs than the general population. Historically, an undergraduate’s IQ was thought to be between 115 and 130 points, placing them well above the average IQ score of 100 in the general populace. However, this perception appears to be rooted in outdated intelligence data from the 1940s and 1950s—a time when university education was accessible to only a select few.
Fast forward to the present, and the educational landscape has evolved dramatically. With higher education becoming more accessible than ever before, a university degree is now as common as a high school diploma was during the mid-20th century. As a result, the average IQ of undergraduate students has adjusted accordingly. According to the findings published in a renowned psychology journal, the average IQ score of undergraduates has fallen to a mere 102 points, with an average decline of about 0.2 IQ points per year. These insights emerged from a comprehensive meta-analysis conducted on college and university student samples who were tested with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale between 1939 and 2022.
The team behind the analysis, comprising academics from Mount Royal University, the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, and Western University, argue that these findings carry significant implications across the board. For starters, universities and professors need to recalibrate their expectations, tailoring curricula and academic standards to an increasingly diverse student population. This decline in IQ also means that employers can no longer presume that degree-holders are inherently more intelligent or capable than non-graduates. Furthermore, the coveted notion of acceptance into a university as entry to an elite echelon must be re-evaluated.
The researchers underline that reliance on antiquated intelligence data or tests for high-stakes decisions—such as by clinical psychologists assessing clients’ cognitive abilities—is both inaccurate and speculative. Additionally, they noted that student IQ not only has declined but also varies significantly across universities, correlating with the selectivity measured by average SAT scores of admitted students.
While the study focuses on the quantifiable measure of cognitive intelligence, another meta-analysis has unearthed parallel declines in other facets of intelligence—specifically, emotional intelligence (EI) among college students in Western countries. The latter study looked at data from over 16,000 students across the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia, finding significant decreases in EI subdomains such as emotionality, self-control, and well-being over the past two decades.
Relevant articles:
– Meta-Analysis: College Undergraduate IQ Has Dropped to Merely Average
– The impact of digital media on children’s intelligence while controlling for genetic differences in cognition and socioeconomic background
– Meta-analysis suggests that emotional intelligence is declining among college students