What might be causing this trend according to the research? Universities whose standards for students have dropped in recent decades, resulting in students today who do not need to work as hard in college as students in 1961. This conclusion is problematic as there is no precise way to test the standards of universities today and so many factors affect student study time. However those who believe this theory have several explanations such as student desire for leisure time and the catering of universities to such desires in an effort to attract students.