Genio Learner Impact Report 2026

Every year, Genio conducts our Learner Impact Survey to better understand how students are using Genio Notes to navigate their studies, and to measure the positive effect on their learning outcomes.

2026 was no different, with this year’s report drawing on two surveys, conducted in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. Data was gathered from 1033 Genio Notes users across the United States, with the surveys measuring outcomes across five key areas:

• Confidence
• Academic performance
• Stress
• Persistence and retention
• Study skills

Alone, these are valuable metrics for institutions to understand and evaluate. Together, they form an intricate picture of the critical indicators for learner engagement, student retention and course completion.

Here we’ll take a look at the most compelling findings from the 2026 Learner Impact survey, and explore exactly how Genio Notes continues to make a real difference to higher education learners.

How Genio Notes positively impacts learner confidence

Today's learners are navigating more than lectures. They're managing competing demands, real-life responsibilities, and in many cases, doing it without the support systems they need. As a result, their confidence in their abilities can slip.

Looking at 2026’s data, the impact that Genio Notes is having to rectify this is clear. 82% of students feel more confident when taking notes with Genio Notes.

For students picking up Genio Notes for the first time, that confidence builds meaningfully over the course of a semester. New users reported an 11.9% improvement in their confidence to study effectively from Fall to Spring. That's not a marginal shift, rather a longitudinal improvement demonstrating a real difference.

Considering New Majority Learners, working students reported a similar impact, with 81.5% feeling more confident with their note taking, while for parent students, the figure is 82.3%.

How Genio Notes improves academic performance

Across all 1,033 respondents, students saw an average GPA improvement of 3.0% over the semester. For new users, that rise was even sharper at 4.1%, signifying how the earlier students engage with Genio Notes, the more they stand to gain.

Some of the most compelling gains belong to the learners who face the steepest barriers. Parent students saw their GPA rise by an average of 7.6%, while first-year students saw a 7.3% rise and first-generation students weren't far behind at 5.0%.

Students with a disability, who aren't currently receiving formal accommodations, saw a 17% increase over the semester, more than five times the overall average.

But perhaps the most striking finding came from the students most at risk of not making it. Those starting the semester with a GPA below 2.0 saw an improvement of +1.35 GPA, a 93.5% increase.

For students who've slipped through the cracks, Genio Notes is providing an educational lifeline.

How Genio Notes reduces student stress

Stress shows up in grades, in persistence, and in wellbeing. It is a problem that cannot be ignored.

By the end of semester, students' using Genio Notes self-reported stress scores had dropped by 11.9% on average compared to where they started with 73.1% saying they find studying less stressful with Genio Notes.

Some of the most meaningful stress reductions belong to students carrying the heaviest loads outside of class. Working students saw stress drop by 20% over the semester, closely followed by ESL students at 18.2% and parent students at 14.3%.

How Genio Notes drives persistence and increases retention

Retention is one of the most pressing challenges facing higher education right now. And institutional leaders are always on the look out for ways to drive student persistence.

According to our surveys, 70.2% of students say Genio Notes has helped them stay in school while 66.4% say it's helped them stay in their current major. Breaking that down by New Majority Learner segments, 75.7% of first-generation students say Genio Notes helped them stay in school, and for parent students the figure is 77.2%.

Among students who were actively considering dropping out at the time of the second survey, 65.8% said Genio Notes helped them stay in school, demonstrating the impact a meaningful intervention can have at exactly the moment it's needed most.

How Genio Notes builds learning skills that last

The value of Genio Notes doesn't stop at the grade. It's in the habits students build and carry with them.

85.5% of students say they can better manage large amounts of information with Genio Notes while 82.0% feel more confident as note-takers and 69.2% say their study skills have improved.

These aren't small numbers. They're a signal that when students have the right tools, they don't just perform better, they actually want to be there.