Voter turnout among college students jumped to 66% in the 2020 presidential election, building on the momentum swing of the 2018 midterms, according to a new report

The record-breaking rates are based on data from nearly 1,200 campuses of all types from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education’s national study of college and university student voting and engagement.

The 14 percentage-point increase to 66%—up from 52% turnout in the 2016 election—outpaces that of all Americans, which jumped 6 percentage points from 61% to 67%, according to data from the US Census Bureau.

“That students, often younger and first-time voters, turned out at rates commensurate with the general public is nothing short of stunning,” says Nancy Thomas, director of the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.

“We attribute this high level of participation to many factors, including student activism on issues such as racial injustice, global climate change, and voter suppression, as well as increased efforts by educators to reach students and connect them to the issues and to voting resources.”

“Students on campuses across this country—from our community colleges to our flagship universities—are raising their voices and their participation in our elections,” said Dayna Cunningham, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean of Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.

“Today’s report shows that even despite a global pandemic, and systemic challenges throughout our democracy, college students are supporting each other to participate, vote, and stay engaged.”

Read the full article about college voting rates by Robin Smyton at Futurity.