The path from education to career is becoming less predictable. Technology is changing how we work, students have more choices about where and how they study, and employers are looking at skills and experience alongside degrees and credentials.

That does not make higher education less important. It makes the role of higher education even more consequential. Colleges and universities are not simply preparing students for a first job. They are helping learners build the knowledge, confidence and adaptability to keep moving forward as industries, technologies and opportunities change.

We are already seeing institutions respond. Graduate programs are becoming more flexible and more closely connected to fast-growing fields such as AI, data science, cybersecurity, clean energy and advanced technology. Online and hybrid options are expanding access for students who may be balancing work, family or other responsibilities. International education continues to give learners the chance to build knowledge, perspective and cross-cultural experience that can serve them throughout their careers.

The value of a degree is not only in preparing someone for a specific role. At its best, higher education teaches people how to think, communicate, solve problems and apply what they know in new settings. Those abilities matter even more in a world where the tools people use and the jobs they hold may change several times over the course of a career.

AI is part of that evolution. Learners will need to understand how to use new technologies responsibly, but they will also need the human skills that make those tools useful. Communication, critical thinking, collaboration and judgment remain central to how people learn, lead and make decisions. The 2026 ETS Human Progress Report reinforces the importance workers place on adaptability and continuous learning as they prepare for a changing workplace.

Students also have more options than ever before. They may be considering different countries, institutions, program formats and career pathways at the same time. More choice can create opportunity, but it can also make important decisions harder to navigate.

This is where education providers have an opportunity to do more than present options. We can help learners understand which opportunities align with their goals, what they should expect from a program and how their skills and interests may translate into future study or work. Better information can make those choices more relevant and more transparent while keeping the learner in control of the decision.

Technology can strengthen that process by helping students discover opportunities that may be a good fit and helping institutions reach learners whose goals align with what they offer. It should make the journey clearer and more connected while preserving the role of students, institutions, counselors and other trusted advisers in making consequential decisions.

As pathways become more varied, learners and institutions still need trusted ways to understand readiness and potential. Academic English proficiency can help students participate fully in higher education, communicate across cultures and move between academic and professional environments. The TOEFL iBT test gives institutions a trusted measure of those skills while helping learners demonstrate that they are prepared to succeed in an academic setting.

The same principle applies to graduate admissions more broadly, including across academic and professional programs such as business and law. The GRE General Test gives students an opportunity to demonstrate reasoning and analytical skills that can complement the rest of an application and give programs additional information as they consider applicants from different backgrounds and educational systems.

Assessment also needs to keep evolving with learners. The experience should be clear, accessible and relevant while maintaining the fairness, validity and reliability that give results meaning. Innovation is most valuable when it helps learners demonstrate what they can do and helps institutions make well-informed decisions.

We will not be able to predict every job AI will reshape or every new path students will pursue. Higher education does not need to predict all of them. It needs to give learners a strong foundation, trusted ways to demonstrate their skills and better guidance as they navigate what comes next.

The future may offer learners more paths than ever before. Our responsibility is to help them choose those paths with confidence and prepare them to keep learning wherever their education takes them.