2015

The American Freshman:

National Norms Fall 2015

Kevin Eagan
Ellen Bara Stolzenberg
Abigail K. Bates
Melissa C. Aragon
Maria Ramirez Suchard
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar
The American Freshman:
National Norms Fall 2015
Prepared by the Staff of the
Cooperative Institutional Research Program

Kevin Eagan
Ellen Bara Stolzenberg
Abigail K. Bates
Melissa C. Aragon
Maria Ramirez Suchard
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

Higher Education Research Institute

Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
 Higher Education Research Institute
University of California, Los Angeles
Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, Associate Professor and Director

HERI Affiliated Scholars

Walter R. Allen, Allan Murray Cartter Professor of Sylvia Hurtado, Professor
Higher Education
Patricia M. McDonough, Professor
Alexander W. Astin, Founding Director and
Senior Scholar Linda J. Sax, Professor

Mitchell J. Chang, Professor Victor B. Sáenz, Associate Professor,

University of Texas at Austin
M. Kevin Eagan Jr., Assistant Professor
in Residence

The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) is based in the Graduate School of Education &
Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Institute serves as an inter­disciplinary
center for research, evaluation, information, policy studies, and research training in postsecondary education.
3005 Moore Hall/Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521 | www.heri.ucla.edu | 310-825-1925

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Cover design by Escott & Associates. Page layout and text design by The Oak Co.
The authors wish to thank Dominique Harrison for her incredible efforts in managing the survey administration for
participating campuses.

Published by the Higher Education Research Institute.

Suggested citation:

Eagan, K., Stolzenberg, E. B., Bates, A. K., Aragon, M. C., Suchard, M. R., & Rios-Aguilar, C. (2015).
The American freshman: National norms fall 2015. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

To download additional copies of this monograph, please visit www.heri.ucla.edu

Copyright © 2016
By the Regents of the University of California
ISBN 978-1-878477-60-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-878477-61-3 (e-book)
ISBN 978-1-878477-62-0 (e-book, expanded edition)
ISBN 978-1-878477-63-7 (print-on-demand)
 Dr. Helen “Lena” Stavridou Astin
1932–2015

This 50th CIRP Freshman Survey monograph is dedicated in loving memory to

Dr. Helen “Lena” Astin, an exceptional scholar, teacher, colleague, mentor, and
friend. Lena’s commitment to understanding women’s experiences and her passion,
strength, and kindness will be carried on by those of us who were fortunate enough
to know her and learn from her.
CONTENTS

List of Tables vi

List of Figures vi

Introduction 1

The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2015 5

College Freshmen Signal Revival of Student Activism,
Political and Civic Engagement 7
Pell Grants: A Necessary but Insufficient Mechanism to Pay for College
among Low-Income Students 10
Demographics 10
Financing College 11
Academic Background 12
Choice 13
Women More Concerned Than Men about College Finances 14
Good Jobs and Graduate Schools Gain Favor in the College Choice Process 16
College Applications and Admission to First-Choice Institution
Vary by High School Type 17
Examining Connections among Sexual Orientation, Emotional and
Mental Health, and Expectations for Campus Involvement 18
Pre-College Tutoring, Remediation Drop While Expectations for
Remedial Work Hold Steady 20
Summer Bridge Programs Offer a Supportive Pathway for
Incoming College Students 21
Reconsidering Students’ Religious Preference: Two New Choices Added 22
Incoming Freshmen Continue Drifting Left Politically 24
References 26

The 2015 National Norms

All First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen by Institutional Type 29

Appendix A: Research Methodology 57

Appendix B: The 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey Instrument 67

Appendix C: Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey 75

Appendix D: The Precision of the Normative Data and Their Comparisons 83

About the Authors 87

v
 Tables
1. Recent Increases in Importance of Practical and Economic Factors in
Students’ College Choice Process, 2012–2015 16
2. Recent Decreases in the Importance of Practical and Economic
Reasons Influencing Students’ Decision to Pursue a College Degree,
2012–2015 17
3. Percentage of Students Who Have Had Special Tutoring or
Remedial Work in High School, 2013 and 2015 20

Figures
1. Expectations of Participating in Student Protests and Demonstrations,
by Race/Ethnicity 7
2. Recent Increases in the Importance Placed on Civic Engagement,
2011–2015 8
3. Personal Importance of Helping Promote Racial Understanding, by Race 9
4. Personal Importance of Influencing the Political Structure, by Race 9
5. Proportion of Students Receiving Pell Grants, by Race/Ethnicity 10
6. Distribution of Parental Income, by Pell Grant Status 11
7. Reliance upon Alternative Resources to Pay for College,
by Pell Grant Status 11
8. Differences in High School Grade Distributions, by Pell Grant Status 13
9. Factors Influencing College Choice, by Pell Grant Status 13
10. Students’ Likelihood of Getting a Job to Pay for College,
by Parents’ Income Level 15
11. Students’ Financial Concerns, by Type of Institution 15
12. Choice of Attendance, by High School Type 18
13. Feeling Overwhelmed or Depressed, by Sexual Orientation 19
14. Expectations for Remedial Work or Special Tutoring,
by High School Type 21
15. Differences in Students Not Affiliating with a Particular Religion,
by Race/Ethnicity 23
16. Differences in Students Not Affiliating with a Particular Religion,
by Sexual Orientation 23
17. Examining Students’ Political Views 24

vi
INTRODUCTION

Student protests and the return of court cases A second research brief,
In the fall of 2015,
concerning affirmative action in admissions authored by Drs. Sylvia HERI released two
ranked among the top higher education stories Hurtado and Adriana critical research briefs
of 2015. Protests on one college campus—the Ruiz Alvarado, analyzes that underscore the
University of Missouri—led to the resignation data from CIRP’s Diverse
educational benefits
of the institution’s president. Additionally, the Learning Environments
Supreme Court once again heard oral arguments (DLE) survey. Hurtado
of enrolling a diverse
in the Fisher v. University of Texas case chal- and Ruiz Alvarado (2015) body of students.
lenging the legality of the University’s admissions find that Black and Latino
policies. Studies out of the Higher Education students who enroll at
Research Institute (HERI) analyzing data more racially diverse campuses have lower
from surveys administered by the Cooperative likelihoods of reporting incidents of bias or
Institutional Research Program (CIRP) continue discrimination to campus authorities compared
to inform these and other issues pertaining to to their peers who attend less racially diverse
the lives of college students and faculty. campuses. Similarly, the authors note that, as
campus diversity increases, Latino students
In the fall of 2015, HERI released two critical
report experiencing less frequent incidents of
research briefs that underscore the educational
discrimination and bias. Generally speaking,
benefits of enrolling a diverse body of students.
the same finding holds for Black students at the
The first brief, written by Dr. Uma Jayakumar,
most racially diverse campuses compared to their
analyzes data from the CIRP Freshman Survey
peers at the least racially diverse campuses. The
and College Senior Survey (CSS). Jayakumar
authors conclude by urging campuses to become
(2015) finds that increased same-race representa-
more inclusive so that students from all back-
tion for students of color correlates with reduced
grounds may thrive.
racialized vulnerability and has no effect on the
frequency with which students of color interact In addition to informing court cases, CIRP
with peers from different racial or ethnic back- data continue to feature prominently in studies
grounds. By contrast, White students who enroll focused on science, ­technology, engineering, and
at campuses with greater proportions of White mathematics (STEM) education. For example,
undergraduates experience a decrease in both Dr. Juan Garibay (2015) analyzes data from
racialized vulnerability and the frequency with the 2004 CIRP Freshman Survey and 2008
which they interact with peers from different CSS to understand the factors that contribute
racial and ethnic backgrounds. to developing a stronger commitment to social
agency, and the study has a specific focus on
differences between students in STEM majors

1
 and their peers pursuing degrees in other fields. pursue math/statistics but becoming weaker
Results show that students who start and persist for women intending to pursue other STEM-
as STEM majors during college have weaker related disciplines.
commitments to social agency by the end of
HERI’s continued contributions to the study
college compared to their peers who never
of undergraduate STEM education extend well
pursued a STEM major. Garibay (2015) also
beyond studies published in 2015. For the past
finds that, although students’ aspirations for
year, HERI researchers have worked closely with
many STEM-related careers (e.g., engineer,
campuses funded by the National Institutes
scientific researcher, computer scientist) have a
of Health under the Building Infrastructure
negative association with a commitment to social
Leading to Diversity (BUILD) initiative as well
agency by the end of college, students who plan
as leaders of the National Research Mentoring
to work in health professions actually exhibit a
Network (NRMN). Over the next several
stronger orientation toward social agency than
years, data collected through HERI’s suite of
their counterparts interested in pursuing non-
student and faculty surveys will be merged with
STEM careers.
other local and national datasets to inform the
national evaluation of these initiatives, which
aim to diversify the pool of individuals working
In addition to informing court
in biomedical research careers.
cases, CIRP data continue to
In addition to research on STEM education,
feature prominently in studies
researchers have relied upon longitudinal CIRP
focused on STEM education. data to examine the long-term effects of under-
graduate experiences on civic engagement.
Bowman, Park, and Denson (2015) examine
In another study focused on STEM education, civic outcomes for students six years after they
Sax, Kanny, Riggers-Piehl, Whang, and Paulson graduated with their bachelor’s degree. Using
(2015) analyze several years of data from the multilevel propensity score analysis to examine
CIRP Freshman Survey to examine how the data from the 1994 Freshman Survey, 1998
importance of students’ math self-confidence College Student Survey (now known as the
in predicting intentions to major in STEM has College Senior Survey), and the 2004 follow-up
changed over time. The authors find that, while survey that focused on civic engagement, the
students intending to major in STEM tend to authors find that students who participated in
have stronger confidence in their math abilities racial/ethnic student clubs and organizations
than their peers intending to pursue non-STEM in college tend to exhibit significantly more
majors, great variation exists with respect to civic engagement across several dimensions
math self-confidence across the subdisciplines six years after college compared to their peers
within STEM. Additionally, the strength of the who did not participate in such groups. The
relationship between students’ confidence in authors argue that these findings underscore the
their math abilities and whether they intend to value of racial/ethnic student organizations on
pursue a STEM major has changed over time, college campuses.
growing stronger for women intending to

2
In a study focused on students’ racial identity, In addition to the dozens of peer-reviewed
Hurtado, Ruiz Alvarado, and Guillermo-Wann journal articles, research briefs, monographs,
(2015) analyze data from the pilot administra- book chapters, and conference presentations
tion of CIRP’s DLE survey. The authors find produced by researchers using CIRP data
that students at two- and four-year institutions throughout 2015, HERI achieved a number of
who are more often exposed to a curriculum milestones. Dr. Sylvia Hurtado stepped down
of inclusion and more frequently participate in in March after serving as Director of HERI for
cocurricular diversity activities report stronger 11 years. During her time as HERI Director,
racial identity salience (i.e., thought about their Dr. Hurtado brought a stronger focus on diver-
race/ethnicity more often). Similarly, having sity and inclusion to the student and faculty
more frequent conversations about race and surveys. She also helped to establish HERI as
more frequent experiences with discrimination one of the premiere higher education research
and bias correlate with students thinking about centers focused on undergraduate STEM educa-
their racial/ethnic identity more often. tion. Also of note, Dr. Hurtado added the DLE
survey to the suite of tools campuses can use to
In addition to studies focused on students,
understand their students’ experiences. In 2015,
researchers also published several studies using
more than two dozen campuses participated in
data from the HERI Faculty Survey during
the DLE survey, and more than twice as many
2015. Eagan, Jaeger, and Grantham (2015)
institutions are on pace to participate during the
analyze data from the 2010–11 HERI Faculty
2015–16 survey cycle.
Survey to examine correlates of job satisfac-
tion for part-time faculty. The authors find In July 2015, HERI welcomed Dr. Cecilia
that part-time faculty who have use of a private Rios-Aguilar as its new director. Dr. Rios-
or shared office space and who feel respected Aguilar joined HERI and the faculty at UCLA
by their full-time colleagues tend to express after working several years as an associate
greater workplace satisfaction. In another study professor at Claremont Graduate University.
utilizing HERI Faculty Survey data, Eagan and Dr. Rios-Aguilar’s research focuses on advanced
Garvey (2015) examine the connection among quantitative methods, analysis of big data, and
faculty’s social identity (race, gender), stress, community colleges.
and productivity. The authors describe that
During the final quarter of 2015, we began
the relationship between feeling stressed due to
introducing survey promotion packs, which are
subtle discrimination and research productivity
aimed at assisting campuses with marketing their
depends upon faculty’s race/ethnicity. White
surveys to students and faculty. Campuses can
faculty tend to be unaffected in terms of research
adapt these templates with local information
productivity as their levels of stress due to subtle
about the timing of surveys and post advertise-
discrimination increase; by contrast, faculty of
ments and invitations around campus and on
color tend to produce significantly less research
social media.
when they experience greater stress due to subtle
discrimination.

3
 As we look toward 2016, we are excited to CIRP Summer Institute in July. Additionally, we
celebrate the CIRP Freshman Survey’s 50 years will offer our first-ever summer institute focused
of data collection with several events. We will on Social Network Analysis in late June. Finally,
be releasing our 50-year trends monograph this in addition to the four student surveys we offer
spring at the annual forum of the Association for annually, we will be administering our trien-
Institutional Research, and we will have other nial Faculty Survey, including a new optional
celebratory events both locally at UCLA and at module on faculty mentoring, beginning in late
other national meetings. We will again offer our summer 2016.
Diversity Research Institute in mid-June and the

Kevin Eagan
Director
Cooperative Institutional Research Program

4
THE AMERICAN FRESHMAN:
NATIONAL NORMS FALL 2015

Analyses of the 50th administration of the CIRP Freshman Survey find an increased commit-
ment to student activism and augmented interest in community and political engagement
among first-time, full-time college students. A new item asking students whether they
received Pell grants provides for a first-of-its-kind look with CIRP Freshman Survey data at
differences between Pell recipients and those who do not have Pell grants across a number of
dimensions related to demographics, strategies for financing college,
pre-college academic experiences, and students’ college choice
Students who identify their
process. Differences in concerns for paying for college, applying to sexual orientation as lesbian,
college, and choosing whether and where to enroll vary substantively gay, bisexual, queer, or
by a number of characteristics, and we examine these issues across “other” express more serious
measures of sex, high school type, and time. mental and emotional health
concerns compared to their
Several other new questions introduced on the 2015 instrument
heterosexual/straight peers.
provide campuses and the nation with opportunities to understand
the distinctiveness and diversity of their incoming cohorts. Students
can now identify their sexual orientation and transgender identity on the survey, and findings
suggest that students who identify their sexual orientation as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer,
or “other” express more serious mental and emotional health concerns compared to their
­heterosexual/straight peers. A new question about participation in summer bridge programs
provides local campus researchers and social scientists with opportunities to understand the
experiences of students in these programs and the efficacy of these programs in facilitating
students’ success. We wrap up the report on the entering freshman class of 2015 by high-
lighting experiences with and expectations for remedial work and special tutoring, differences
in students who affiliate with a particular religion compared to peers who do not identify
with a religion (i.e., Agnostic, Atheist, or “none”), and students’ continued political
leftward drift.

5
 The results reported in this monograph are based upon 141,189 first-time, full-time students
who entered 199 four-year U.S. colleges and universities of varying selectivity and type.
Weights have been applied to these data to reflect the more than 1.5 million first-time, full-
time undergraduate students who began college at 1,574 four-year colleges and universities
across the U.S. in the fall of 2015. This means that differences of one percentage point in the
results published here reflect the characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes of more than 15,000
first-year students nationally. We describe the full methodology of the 2015 CIRP Freshman
Survey administration, stratification scheme, and weighting approach in Appendix A.

6
College Freshmen Signal Revival of as well as the personal importance of connecting
Student Activism, Political and with their communities and influencing the
Civic Engagement political structure. The entering freshman class
The vast majority (96.9%) of first-time, full- of 2015 ranks among the most ambitious in
time students who entered college in the fall these areas compared to their counterparts who
of 2015 spent their senior year of high school participated in any of the previous 49 adminis-
witnessing (and perhaps even participating trations of the CIRP Freshman Survey.
in) increased activism among high school and
college students. Initially in response to officer- Perhaps connected to the increased activism
involved shootings of Black men in places like among college and high school students over the
Ferguson, MO, Charleston, SC, and Baltimore, past year, first-time, full-time college students in
MD, these protests have grown to bring needed 2015 report substantially greater likelihoods of
attention and dialog to issues of racism and participating in student protests and demonstra-
bigotry in the U.S., among other issues. Many tions while in college compared to their peers
of the protests and outcries on college campuses who entered last year. As shown in Figure 1,
and in communities have occurred in response 5.6% of all freshmen in 2014 indicated a “very
to local incidents of bias and discrimination and good chance” that they would participate in
in solidarity with broader, national movements student protests while in college; in 2015, that
(e.g., Black Lives Matter). figure has increased to 8.5% of students, which
is the highest level recorded for this item since its
Although the 2015 survey instrument did not inception in 1967.
specifically address these events or protests,
for five decades, the CIRP Freshman Survey The rates of increase vary considerably by race/
has asked students about their expectations for ethnicity. Roughly 5.8% of Native American and
participating in student protests while in college 6% of Asian American/Pacific Islander students

Figure 1. Expectations of Participating in Student Protests and Demonstrations, by Race/Ethnicity

(% Marking “Very Good Chance”)
18
16.0
16
2014
14.0
14 2015

12
10.5
% of Students

10.3 10.2
10 9.3
8.5
8 7.1 7.0
6.6
5.8 6.0 5.6
6
4.2 4.6
4 3.7

0
Native American Asian White All Two or more Latino Other race/ Black
races/ethnicities ethnicity
Student Race/Ethnicity

7
 have strong expectations of participating in As shown in Figure 2, students in recent years
student protests in college, representing 2.1 and have increasingly rated helping others in diffi-
1.8 percentage-point increases over their peers culty as an important goal, and, in 2015, the
who started college in 2014. Black students in item has achieved its greatest level of support
2015 are the most likely to report a “very good since we first began asking it in 1966.
chance” of participating in student protests
Two other items have reached all-time highs
while in college (16%), and Black students also
with the 2015 administration. More students
have experienced the greatest increase over 2014
than ever before indicate that becoming a
with a 5.5 percentage-point jump. About one
community leader represents either a “very
in 10 Latino students (10.2%) report a “very
important” or “essential” life objective (39.8%),
good chance” of participating in student protests
up 3.4 percentage points over 2014. Students in
while in college, representing an increase of
2015 also express strong commitment toward
3.2 percentage points over 2014. These figures
improving their understanding of other coun-
for both Black and Latino students represent the
tries and cultures. Representing the greatest level
highest recorded in the history of this item.
of support for this item since we added it to
Incoming college students not only demonstrate the survey in 2002, nearly three in five (59.2%)
stronger inclinations toward activism via inten- rate this goal as “very important” or ­“essential,”
tions to join protests while in college but they jumping 8.4 percentage points compared
also report substantially stronger commitments to 2014.
to engaging with their communities. Nearly
Several other life objectives exhibit substantial
three-quarters (74.6%) of freshmen in 2015
increases over previous years yet fall short of
consider helping others in difficulty to be a “very
achieving all-time highs. For example, students
important” or “essential” personal objective.
in 2015 place greater emphasis on wanting to

Figure 2. Recent Increases in the Importance Placed on Civic Engagement, 2011–2015

(% Marking “Very Important” or “Essential”)

80
Helping others who are in difficulty
70
Improving my understanding of
other countries and cultures
60
Influencing social values
50
% of Students

Helping to promote racial

understanding
40
Keeping up to date with
political affairs
30
Becoming a community leader
20
Influencing the political structure

10

0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

8
 Figure 3. Personal Importance of Helping Promote
Racial Understanding, by Race

70
help promote racial understanding (41.2% Essential
60
Very Important
rating “very important” or “essential”) and
50
wanting to influence social values (43.9% 31.8

% of Students
19.4
rating “very important” or “essential”). Students 40 15.4
14.2
also seem to be substantially more committed 30 9.5
to political engagement, as 22.3% report 20
29.3 30.2 33.3 32.0
influencing the political structure as a “very 24.1
10
important” or “essential” life objective. Roughly
0
four in 10 students (40.4%) also indicate that White Native Asian Latino Black
American
keeping up to date with political affairs repre-
Student Race/Ethnicity
sents a “very important” or “essential” objective.

Figure 3 shows how the goal of wanting to

communities, and engage in the political process
promote racial understanding varies by students’
are directly related to the wave of activism
race/ethnicity. Just over one-third of White
among high school and college students over
students (33.6%) place significant importance
the past year. Recent developments may have
on wanting to help promote racial under-
signaled to students that a collective sense of
standing. By contrast, more than half of Latino
belonging and working together to raise impor-
(52.7%) and nearly two-thirds of Black (63.8%)
tant issues on campus and in their communities
students rate promoting racial understanding
can lead to change. College administrators
as a “very important” or “essential” personal
around the country are paying attention to a
goal, and these figures have increased by 2.5
revitalized student activism and have started to
and 6.4 percentage points for Latino and Black
consider and act upon the demands of student
students, respectively, compared to 2014.
protesters. We expect new forms of student
Similarly, findings in Figure 4 demonstrate activism to take place throughout 2016 given the
variation by race/ethnicity with respect to the presidential elections and the myriad national
importance students place on influencing the
political structure. Just 18% of Asian American/ Figure 4. Personal Importance of Influencing the Political Structure,
Pacific Islander students feel that influencing by Race
the political structure represents a “very impor- 35
tant” or “essential” life objective with 20.3% of Essential
30 Very Important
White students feeling similarly. By contrast,
25 13.9
just over one-quarter of Latino students (26.7%)
% of Students

9.6
and nearly one-third of Black students (32.5%) 20 9.3
6.2
believe influencing the political structure 15 6.0

represents a “very important” or “essential” 10 18.6

17.1
personal goal. 14.1 14.8
12.0
5

We do not know for sure whether the increases 0

with respect to students’ expectations to Asian White Native Latino Black
American
­participate in protests connect with their Student Race/Ethnicity

9
 issues that matter to U.S. college students (e.g., over one-quarter of first-time, full-time freshmen
gun violence, racism and discrimination, immi- (26.6%) self-identify as having received a Pell
gration, college accessibility and affordability), grant, and this section examines differences
and college students may play a vital role in between Pell grant recipients and their peers who
upcoming federal, state, and local elections. did not receive Pell grants across demographic
At the very least, it seems clear that the entering characteristics, college financing strategies,
college class of 2015 expects to be more involved academic backgrounds, and college choice.
with and committed to these issues than those
Demographics. Whether students report having
who came before them.
received a Pell grant varies considerably by
gender and race/ethnicity. Women (28.8%)
are slightly more likely than men (24%) to
Pell Grants: A Necessary but Insufficient
Mechanism to Pay for College among report having received a Pell grant. Additionally,
Low-Income Students Figure 5 shows that Black and Latino students
The ways in which students finance their college (54.1% and 55.7%, respectively) are more than
education persists as a perennial policy concern, three times as likely to receive a Pell grant as
particularly with respect to individuals from their White peers (17.1%). One-quarter of Asian
low-income backgrounds. The 2015 CIRP American/Pacific Islander freshmen (25%),
Freshman Survey includes a new bank of items just less than one-third (29.4%) of multiracial
about specific types of financial aid students freshmen, and nearly half (48.2%) of Native
relied upon to fund college expenses, including American freshmen report having received a Pell
work-study, military benefits, and Pell grants. grant for the 2015–2016 academic year.
Pell grants provide low-income college students First-generation college students, which CIRP
with funds that do not have to be repaid. Just defines as those whose parents have no college

Figure 5. Proportion of Students Receiving Pell Grants, by Race/Ethnicity

60
55.7
54.1

50 48.2

40
% of Students

34.6

30 29.4
25.0

20
17.1

10

0
White Asian Two or more Other Native American Black Hispanic
race/ethnicity
Student Race/Ethnicity

10
 Figure 6. Distribution of Parental Income, by Pell Grant Status
100
6.9
90 6.5
experience, are more likely to
80
receive Pell grants compared to 20.5
70 57.6
their peers whose parents had

% of Students
60 $100,000 or more
attended college or completed a $75,000 to 99,999
50 33.4
degree. More than half (56.3%) $50,000 to 74,999
40 $25,000 to 49,999
of first-generation students
14.2 < $25,000
self-identify as Pell recipients 30

compared to only 20.3% of 20 15.2

32.7
continuing generation students. 10 7.9
5.0
0
Given the Pell grant program
Non-Pell Pell
is designed to provide financial
assistance to low-income college
students, we would expect to recipients must therefore rely upon other forms
see substantial differences in the distribution of financial aid and income from work to
of family income between Pell recipients and cover all of the various expenses incurred as a
non-recipients. Figure 6 shows the self-reported college student.
income distribution for Pell recipients and non-
Figure 7 highlights the disparity between Pell
recipients. The majority of students without
recipients and non-recipients with respect to
Pell grants (57.6%) report their parental income
their reliance upon family resources to fund their
above $100,000; by contrast, nearly two-thirds
first-year educational expenses. Less than one-
of Pell recipients (66.1%) report their parents’/
third of Pell recipients (32%) anticipate utilizing
guardians’ income as less than $50,000.
$3,000 or more in family resources to cover first-
In fact, nearly one-third of Pell recipients
year educational expenses compared to nearly
report their family income as less
than $25,000.
Figure 7. Reliance upon Alternative Resources to Pay for College,
Financing college. For most by Pell Grant Status
(% Relying upon $3,000 or More)
low-income students attending a 100
four-year college or university, the 90 86.0
Pell grant represents a necessary Non-Pell
80
72.7
but insufficient source of funding Pell
70
to pay for college given that the
% of Students

60 55.7 54.7
maximum award for the Pell
50
grant is $5,775 for the 2015–16
39.1
academic year (U.S. Department 40
32.0
of Education, 2015). Thus, the 30
20.0 18.6
Pell grant on its own may not 20

cover the entire cost of attendance, 10

including tuition, fees, room, 0
board, and books (Gault, Reichlin, Family resources My own resources Aid which need Aid which must
not be repaid be repaid
& Román, 2014). Many Pell grant

11
 three-quarters (72.7%) of students who did not Given how many different forms of financial
receive a Pell grant. Further, when looking solely aid Pell recipients expect to rely upon to finance
at the highest value in the range of responses their college education compared to their peers
($15,000 or more), 40.2% of non-recipients not in the Pell program, it may come as no
expect this contribution from their family, surprise that Pell recipients express much greater
compared to 5.2% of Pell recipients. concern about their ability to pay for college.
In fact, the proportion of Pell recipients who
Pell recipients instead rely more heavily upon
have at least some concern about their ability to
need- and merit-based aid, loans, and employ-
pay for college exceeds that of non-Pell students
ment. More than half of Pell recipients (54.7%)
by nearly 30 percentage points (84.1% for Pell
report having taken out at least $3,000 in
recipients versus 56.7% for non-recipients).
loans to finance their first-year educational
Additionally, Pell recipients (21.7%) are more
expenses compared to 39.1% of students who
than two-and-a-half times as likely as non-Pell
did not receive a Pell grant. In fact, more than
recipients (8.4%) to express “major” concerns
one-third of Pell recipients (35.9%), compared
about financing their education.
to 27.1% of non-recipients, have taken out
at least $15,000 in loans to cover their first- Academic background. As previously noted,
year expenses. A greater proportion of Pell Pell recipients have spent substantially more
recipients also report receiving merit-based time working while in high school than their
aid compared to non-recipients (60% versus counterparts who did not receive a Pell grant.
46%). Additionally, nearly half (45.4%) of Pell This additional time spent working may have
recipients report having received work-study translated into less time available for Pell recipi-
funds—more than 30 percentage points higher ents to spend studying and doing homework.
than students without Pell grants (11.1%). Just over one-third (37.5%) of Pell recipients
report having spent more than five hours per
In addition to their work-study positions, 59.2%
week studying or doing homework during their
of Pell grant recipients believe there is a “very
last year in high school compared to nearly half
good chance” they will get a job to cover college
of students (48.4%) who did not report having
expenses compared to 41.4% of non-recipients.
a Pell grant.
Further, 40.3% of Pell recipients believe there
is at least some chance they will work full-time Differences in the amount of time students
while in college compared to less than one- could devote to studying and completing
quarter (24%) of students who did not receive homework assignments may account for the
Pell grants. Notably, Pell grant recipients report differences in high school grade distributions
having spent more hours each week working for between Pell recipients and non-recipients
pay during their last year of high school. Nearly shown in Figure 8. More than one-third (34.1%)
a third (32.4%) of Pell recipients worked at least of students without a Pell grant report earning
11 hours per week during their last year in high high school GPAs of an A or A+ compared to
school compared to about a quarter (25.4%) of just over one-quarter (25.9%) of Pell recipients.
non-Pell recipients. Nearly half of Pell recipients (49.1%) indicate
high school GPAs of B+ or lower as opposed to
37.1% of their peers without Pell grants.

12
 Figure 8. Differences in High School Grade Distributions,
by Pell Grant Status
40

35 34.1
Choice. The college choice process Non-Pell

differs for those who receive Pell

30 28.7
Pell grants and those who do 25.9
24.9
not. Although relatively similar 25

% of Students
proportions of Pell recipients 20.1
20 18.1
17.2
(73.9%) and non-recipients
15 13.7
(75.7%) were admitted into their
10.9
first-choice institutions, only 10
about half of students with Pell 6.2

grants (51.2%) have enrolled 5

in their first-choice campus 0

compared to 61.4% of students B- or lower B B+ A- A or A+

without Pell grants. The CIRP

Freshman Survey asks students
r­ espectively) as “very important” reasons to
about the importance of a variety of factors
attend college in general.
in choosing to go to college in general and
choosing their specific college in particular. Not surprisingly, finances weigh more heavily
Pell grant recipients are more likely than their on the minds of Pell recipients when deciding
non-Pell peers to consider being able to make where to enroll in college. Figure 9 shows that
more money (74.8% and 67.6%, respectively), nearly all Pell recipients (92.9%) consider
getting training for a specific career (79.7% and having been offered financial assistance as either
74.6%, respectively), and preparing for graduate “somewhat” or “very important” in deciding to
or professional school (65.4% and 56.2%, enroll at their current institution, 30 percentage

Figure 9. Factors Influencing College Choice, by Pell Grant Status

(% Indicating “Somewhat” or “Very Important”)

33.8
Could not afford first choice
22.9

Pell
32.2 Non-Pell
Not offered aid by my first choice
22.8

87.9
The cost of attending this college
75.3

92.9
I was offered financial assistance
62.4

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
% of Students

13
 points higher than non-recipients. The differ- concern for this issue than their male coun-
ence is even greater when just considering the terparts. Women are 10 percentage points
top category for this factor, as nearly twice as more likely than men to report any concern
many Pell recipients rate being offered financial about their ability to pay for college (69.5%
aid as “very important” in choosing their current versus 58.7%).
institution (71.2% versus 37.9%). With respect
Despite women’s concerns, or perhaps because
to attending their first-choice institution, about
of them, higher proportions of women report
a third of Pell recipients also believe that not
receiving several types of financial aid, including
being able to afford their first choice (33.8%
work-study, Pell grants, and scholarships/grants
compared to 22.9% of non-Pell recipients) and
(need- and merit-based). More than half of
not being offered aid by their first choice (32.2%
women (53.5%) in the sample have received
compared to 22.8% of non-Pell recipients) were
merit-based grants or scholarships compared to
at least somewhat important in their college
just less than half of men (49.3%). We note a
choice process.
larger gap between women and men with respect
The findings presented here underscore the to need-based grants and scholarships (39.2%
need to rethink financial aid, particularly for versus 33.5%). As reported above, a greater
low-income students. Recent efforts to address proportion of women are Pell recipients, and
financial aid in the U.S. include a new proposal women’s use of work-study funds to help finance
by Kelchen and Goldrick-Rab (2015) to commit their first-year expenses exceeds that of men by
to providing the maximum Pell grant award to 3.8 percentage points (22.6% versus 18.8%). By
8th graders who subsequently graduate from contrast, men have a slightly greater likelihood
high school and enroll in college. Alternatively, of utilizing military benefits (3.7% compared to
presidential candidates have started to make 2.8% for women).
financial aid in higher education an issue in their
While nearly half of all students believe there
policy agendas. Some candidates have proposed
is a “very good chance” they will get a job to
offering up to two years of free tuition, but the
help pay for college expenses (46.3%), students
most ambitious proposal would provide four
who have some or major concerns about having
years of college for all students enrolled in public
enough funds to pay for college are more likely
institutions. Regardless of the proposal, the
to report they will get a job to help pay for
message from these findings is clear: low-income
college (58.9%). By contrast, students without
students need more financial aid to access and
concerns about their ability to pay for college
persist in college.
are far less likely to expect to get a job to pay
for educational expenses (23.4%). Women who
express either some or major concerns about
Women More Concerned Than Men
about College Finances paying for college are more likely than men to
report there is a “very good chance” they will
While nearly two-thirds of all incoming first-
get a job to help pay for college (64.1% versus
year students have at least “some” or “major”
51.3%). Parental income also correlates with
concerns about their ability to finance college
students’ expectations for their likelihood of
(64.6%), women tend to express much greater
getting a job to pay for college expenses.

14
 Figure 10. Students’ Likelihood of Getting a Job to Pay for College, by Parents’ Income Level
(% Indicating “Very Good Chance”)
70

Women
60
Men

50
% of Students

40

30

20

10

0
Less than $10K– $15K– $20K– $25K– $30K– $40K– $50K– $60K– $75K– $100K– $150K– $200K– $250K or
$10,000 $14,999 $19,999 $24,999 $29,999 $39,999 $49,999 $59,999 $74,999 $99,999 $149,999 $199,999 $249,999 more

As shown in Figure 10, greater proportions of Students’ concerns about their ability to pay for
women than men reported a “very good chance” college differ substantially based on the type
of getting a job in college across income ranges, of institution they attend. Across all institu-
but the gender gap decreases at higher levels of tion types, the proportion of women expressing
parental income. concerns about paying for college exceeds the
rate of men by roughly 10 percentage points
Women who have some or major concerns about
(see Figure 11). Students at Historically Black
their ability to finance college are more likely
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have the
than their male counterparts to view financial
greatest concerns about their ability to finance
considerations (e.g., being offered financial
college compared to students at public and
assistance, cost of attending this college) as “very
private colleges and universities. Women at
important” factors in choosing their college.
HBCUs outpace both men and women at
Women also have a slightly greater
likelihood of choosing their college
because they perceive the gradu- Figure 11. Students’ Financial Concerns, by Type of Institution
(% Indicating “Some” or “Major” Concern)
ates of that school “get good jobs”
(59.9% rate “very important”) 90
Women Men 79.4
compared to 55.3% of men. In 80
74.3
70.8 68.6 70.0
students’ decision to attend college 70
64.3 62.9
60.4
in general, men who have some 60 55.8
% of Students

53.9
or major concerns about paying 50

for college are more likely than 40

women to rate being able to make 30

more money as a “very important” 20

factor in deciding to attend college 10

(75.3% versus 69.7%). 0

Public 4-Year Public Private Private HBCUs
Colleges Universities 4-Year Colleges Universities

15
 all institution types in their concern about Survey in 1983. While the ability of graduates
financing college, as 79.4% have some or major to obtain good jobs has always weighed heavily
concern about having sufficient funds to pay as a factor in students’ college decision-making
for college. process, 60.1% of students indicate this as a
“very important” consideration in 2015, repre-
senting an all-time high for this item.
Good Jobs and Graduate Schools Gain
Favor in the College Choice Process Similarly, even though admission to graduate
school has been an important consideration for
The CIRP Freshman Survey asks students
about a third of college freshmen every year,
about the importance of a variety of factors in
it has increased to 37.6% in 2015, which may
deciding which college to attend. The report
correspond to students’ increasing aspirations for
on the freshman class that started college in
advanced degrees (Eagan et al., 2014). A third
2014 highlights the growing importance of
item persists as the factor rated “very important”
early admissions programs on student enroll-
by the greatest proportion of students. Since
ment decisions (Eagan et al., 2014). While
1972 when students first began rating the “good
early admissions programs continue to play an
academic reputation” of the institution as a
increasing role in the college choice process,
consideration in their college choice process, this
students entering college in 2015 seem to be
factor has consistently been rated as “very impor-
considering more practical and economic factors
tant” by the greatest proportion of students. In
in the decision process.
2015, 69.7% of students have rated this factor as
In recent years, the percentage of students “very important,” representing a 4.3 percentage-
reporting economic and practical factors as “very point increase from 2014 and the highest level of
important” in their choice of where to go to importance this item has ever achieved.
college has increased. Specifically, students now
The factors influencing decisions about where
give more weight to post-college opportunities
to go to college and whether to go to college
in their consideration of a specific college (see
seem to be moving in different directions. While
Table 1). The importance that students place on
economic and practical considerations seemed
graduates’ ability to get good jobs and gradu-
to weigh more heavily on students’ choice of a
ates’ admission to top graduate or professional
particular college in 2015, these factors appear
schools has increased substantially since these
to be less salient in students’ decision to attend
questions first appeared on the CIRP Freshman

Table 1. Recent Increases in Importance of Practical and Economic Factors in

Students’ College Choice Process, 2012–2015

(% Indicating “Very Important”) 2012 2013 2014 2015

This college has a very good
academic reputation 63.8 64.0 65.4 69.7
This college’s graduates gain admission
to top graduate/professional schools 32.8 33.0 32.9 37.6
This college’s graduates get good jobs 55.9 53.1 53.4 60.1

16
 Table 2. Recent Decreases in the Importance of Practical and Economic
Reasons Influencing Students’ Decision to Pursue a College Degree,
2012–2015

(% Indicating “Very Important”) 2012 2013 2014 2015

To be able to get a better job 87.9 86.3 86.1 85.2

To be able to make more money 74.6 73.3 72.8 69.9
To get training for a specific career 79.3 77.1 77.1 76.1
To prepare myself for graduate or
professional school 61.9 60.8 59.7 58.8

college overall. As shown in Table 2, the propor- The distribution of the number of applications
tion of students who rate getting a better job students submit varies considerably by high
as “very important” in their decision to attend school type. In 2015, a smaller proportion of
college has dropped 2.7 percentage points after students who attended traditional public high
it peaked at 87.9% in 2012. We see a similar schools report having submitted at least seven
pattern with decreases in the proportion of college applications compared to students from
students who consider the ability to make more other types of high schools. Among all tradi-
money (74.6% in 2012 versus 69.9% in 2015), tional public school students, about a quarter
get training for a specific career (79.3% in (25.1%) indicate having applied to seven or
2012 versus 76.1% in 2015), and prepare for more colleges, which is nearly half the rate of
graduate/professional school (61.9% in 2012 their peers who attended private independent
versus 58.8% in 2015) as “very important” college-prep high schools (46.7%).
reasons to pursue a college degree. All of these
The CIRP Freshman Survey also asks students if
reasons reached their peaks in 2012 and have
they were accepted by their first-choice college
since decreased.
or university, regardless of where they enrolled.
More students in 2015 than in 2014 indicate
having been accepted to their first-choice insti-
College Applications and Admission
to First-Choice Institution tution, as 75.5% of students report admission
Vary by High School Type to their first-choice college compared to 72.7%
The application behavior of incoming freshmen in 2014. Students’ rates of acceptance to their
has shifted over the years, as students increas- first-choice institution vary based upon the kind
ingly apply to more colleges and universities of high school they attended. More than three-
with each successive cohort. Reports on previous quarters of all traditional public school students
administrations of the CIRP Freshman Survey (77.3%) were accepted by their first-choice
have highlighted the increasing numbers of college—higher than all other high school types.
college applications students submit, and the A similar percentage of students who attended
entering class of 2015 has set a new record. Since private religious/parochial schools (75.4%)
2005, the percentage of students who applied to report being admitted to their first-choice insti-
seven or more colleges (in addition to the one tution. By contrast, students attending public
submitted to the campus where they currently charter schools (68.6%) and public magnet
are enrolled) has more than doubled to 28.5% schools (67.3%) have had lower rates of admis-
of all first-time, full-time students for the fall sion to their first-choice campus. Fewer than
of 2015. two-thirds of students who graduated from
private independent college-prep high schools

17
 Figure 12. Choice of Attendance, by High School Type
70

60.1 60.3
60

50.9 51.8
50 48.3
% of Students

40

30.1 29.4
30 27.1
24.9 25.4

20
13.5 12.4
11.7
8.2 8.0 8.7 9.2 9.0
10
5.8 5.4

0
Public Charter School Public Magnet School Private Independent Private Religious/ Traditional Public School
College-Prep School Parochial School

First Choice Second Choice Third Choice Less than Third Choice

(63.8%) report having been admitted to their parochial and independent college-prep (60.1%
first-choice college or university. and 51.8%, respectively), have enrolled in their
first-choice institution at higher rates than
Similar to student acceptance patterns, members
students who attended charter and magnet
of the 2015 entering freshman class are slightly
public schools (48.3% and 50.9%, respectively).
more likely to be enrolled at their first-choice
institution. When this question first appeared
on the survey in 1974, nearly 80% of students
Examining Connections among
stated that they had enrolled at their first choice Sexual Orientation, Emotional and
college. Since then, this percentage has declined Mental Health, and Expectations for
while the percentage of students indicating that Campus Involvement
their current institution was less than their third The 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey has intro-
choice has increased. After dropping to an all- duced several new items that aim to improve
time low of 55% in 2014, the proportion of the instrument’s inclusivity. For the first time,
students enrolling at their first-choice institution students can identify their sexual orientation and
has rebounded to 58.9% in 2015. indicate if they are transgender. Additionally,
we have made an important change to ques-
As shown in Figure 12, whether students
tions about students’ parents. We decided to
enrolled in their first-choice college also varies
remove “mother” and “father” from the survey
based upon the kind of high school students
to be more inclusive of today’s families; prior to
attended. Similar to acceptance rates, students
answering questions about parents’ education,
from traditional public high schools have the
careers, and religious affiliations, students are
highest rates of enrolling at their first-choice
asked to mark the sex for “parent/guardian 1”
institution (60.3%). Diverging from the patterns
and “parent/guardian 2.”
observed for college acceptance, students who
attended private high schools, both religious/

18
Of the students who provided an answer to the to have felt overwhelmed by all they had to do
sexual orientation item (8.8% of respondents (63.5% frequently) and to have felt depressed
in the normed sample skipped this question), (45.9% frequently) in the past year. Similarly,
93.2% of students identify as heterosexual/ more than half of bisexual students have felt
straight. Distributions for the other categories overwhelmed by all they had to do (54.9%
are as follows: 3.2% identify as bisexual, 1.4% as frequently) while about one-third of bisexual
“other,” 1.1% as gay, 0.6% as lesbian, and 0.5% students have felt depressed (33.6% frequently)
as queer. Of those who provided a response to in the past year. By contrast, heterosexual/
the question about transgender identity, 0.3% straight students are far less likely to report
identify as transgender. Additionally, 0.6% of “frequently” feeling overwhelmed or depressed
respondents indicate having same-sex parents/ (32.6% and 8%, respectively) in the past year.
guardians. Below we provide some breakouts of Rates of “frequently” feeling overwhelmed
the data by students’ sexual orientation. for LGBQ/other students exceed those of
heterosexual/straight students by 9.3 to 30.9
Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
percentage points; the gaps for “frequently”
queer, or “other” (LGBQ/other) more frequently
feeling depressed range from 12 to 37.9
have felt overwhelmed and depressed in the
percentage points.
past year compared to their heterosexual/
straight classmates. Figure 13 shows the We see similar differences across sexual orienta-
proportion of students who report having felt tion identity with respect to students’ self-rated
“frequently” overwhelmed by all they had to emotional health. Although more than half
do and “frequently” depressed in the past year (52.5%) of all heterosexual/straight students rate
broken out by their sexual orientation identity. their emotional health as either “above average”
Students identifying as queer are the most likely or in the “highest 10%,” less than one-quarter

Figure 13. Feeling Overwhelmed or Depressed, by Sexual Orientation

(% Indicating “Frequently”)
70
63.5
60
54.9 55.4
51.2
50 45.9
41.9
% of Students

40
32.6 33.6 34.2
29.2
30

20.1
20

10 8.0

0
Heterosexual/ Gay Lesbian Bisexual Queer Other
Straight
Students’ Sexual Orientation

Felt depressed Felt overwhelmed by all I had to do

19
 Table 3. Percentage of Students Who
Have Had Special Tutoring or Remedial
Work in High School, 2013 and 2015

of LGBQ/other students (24.7%) report the Subject Area 2013 2015

English 9.6 8.5
same. More than one-third of students iden-
Reading 8.3 7.0
tifying as gay rate their emotional health as at Mathematics 17.9 16.6
least above average (37%) while just 15% of Social Studies 6.0 4.9
queer students do so. Just over one-quarter of Science 8.4 7.4
Foreign Language 7.6 6.3
lesbian students (26%) and slightly less than
Writing 7.7 6.6
one-quarter of bisexual students (23.5%) rate
their emotional health as “above average” or
in the “highest 10%.” Given these numbers, Pre-College Tutoring, Remediation
perhaps it is not surprising that more than one- Drop While Expectations for
quarter of students who identify as LGBQ/other Remedial Work Hold Steady
(27%) believe there is a “very good chance” With recent national mandates calling for
they will seek personal counseling while in students to be college- and career-ready by the
college compared to 12.9% of heterosexual/ time they graduate from high school (United
straight students. States Department of Education, 2010),
state and local education leaders have placed
Considering high school experiences, students
greater emphasis on ensuring that students are
identifying as heterosexual/straight report
academically prepared to succeed in college.
spending substantially less time in student clubs/
One effort to increase readiness has been to
groups compared to their LGBQ/other peers.
provide students with additional support, such
Just over one-third of heterosexual/straight
as special tutoring or remedial work, while in
students (34.7%) report spending three or more
high school to boost their academic skills before
hours per week in student clubs/groups while
they enter college. The CIRP Freshman Survey
in high school compared to 43.3% of students
asks students about their experiences with
identifying as LGBQ/other.
special tutoring or remedial work by subject
These high school involvement patterns seem during their high school years. As shown in
likely to persist into college based upon students’ Table 3, the percentage of students who have
expectations for involvement. Roughly three in had special tutoring or remedial work in all
five LGBQ/other students (62.3%) believe there subject areas (English, Reading, Mathematics,
is a “very good chance” they will participate in Social Studies, Science, Foreign Language,
student clubs/groups in college. By contrast, Writing) has decreased since 2013 when these
just over half of heterosexual/straight students items last appeared on the survey and achieved
(53.4%) expect the same. One interesting all-time highs.
difference pertains to students’ expectations of
Whether students have received special tutoring
joining a social fraternity or sorority. About one
or remedial work appears to depend in part on
in 10 heterosexual/straight students (11.3%)
the type of high school they attended. Students
rate their odds of joining a fraternity/sorority
who attended public charter high schools were
as “very good” compared to 6.5% of LGBQ/
the most likely to indicate that they had special
other students.
tutoring or remedial work in several subject
areas. Specifically, among all charter school

20
 Figure 14. Expectations for Remedial Work or Special Tutoring,
40
by High School Type
34.6
35
30.9
30 28.0
25.8
25 24.1
% of Students

20 18.2 18.7
16.5 16.0
15.0 15.6
14.4 14.5 14.2
15
12.7

10

0
Mathematics Science Writing

Public Charter Public Magnet Traditional Public Private Religious/Parochial Private Independent College-Prep

students, 18.8% indicate having had special to students from all other types of schools (tradi-
tutoring or remedial work in math compared tional public, public magnet, private parochial/
to 15.6% of traditional public school students. religious, private independent, home school).
Similarly, 8.7% of charter school students and Specifically, more than one-third (34.6%) of
6.8% of traditional public school students charter school students believe they will need
indicated that they had additional support in special tutoring or remedial work in math,
science. Furthermore, 9% of charter school which exceeds the rates of students from other
students report having had tutoring or remedial high school types by several percentage points.
work in writing compared to 6.2% of traditional
public school students.
Summer Bridge Programs
Students also indicate on the survey whether Offer a Supportive Pathway for
they expect they will need remediation or special Incoming College Students
tutoring in various subjects. Despite the decrease Summer bridge programs, a type of college
in the percentage of students who have had transition intervention that occurs during the
special tutoring or remedial work in high school, summer before a student’s freshman year in
the percentage of students who feel they will college, are designed to provide support to
need special tutoring or remedial work in all prepare students to adjust and make a successful
subject areas has remained about the same since transition to the college environment (Sablan,
2013; however, as shown in Figure 14, differ- 2013). Typically, first-generation, low-income,
ences persist based upon the type of high schools and underrepresented racial minority students
students attended. tend to be overrepresented in summer bridge
programs (Kezar, 2000). A new question on
Students who attended charter schools are the
the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey asks students
most likely to anticipate needing special tutoring
about their participation in a summer bridge
or remedial work in all subject areas compared

21
 program prior to enrolling at their current Reconsidering Students’ Religious
institution. Preference: Two New Choices Added
The report on the 2014 CIRP Freshman Survey
While only a small percentage of students indi-
highlights the fact that more students than ever
cate that they participated in summer bridge
(27.5%) selected “none” as their religious prefer-
programs (5.6%), rates of participation vary
ence, a 2.9 percentage point increase from 2013,
by high school GPA, parental income, and
and an increase of more than 12 percentage
intended major. Of the students who have
points from when the question was first asked
participated in a summer bridge program, about
in 1971 (Eagan et al., 2014 ). The 2015 version
half (49.9%) of them report strong GPAs,
of this question includes two new response
earning an A- or better in their high school
options: Agnostic and Atheist. Overall, 29.5%
coursework. Additionally, just over two-thirds
of incoming freshmen selected Agnostic (8.3%),
of these students (68.6%) come from families
Atheist (5.9%), or “none” (15.4%), bringing the
whose annual income was less than $100,000.
percentage of students identifying with a specific
Moreover, about half (49.9%) of these students
religion down to 70.5%.
indicate intentions to major in a STEM
discipline (i.e., biological and life sciences, Figure 15 shows the distribution of students
engineering, health professions, mathematics or who identify as Agnostic, Atheist, or “none” by
computer science, physical science). race/ethnicity. Asian students are least likely to
affiliate with a particular religion (60.5%) and
A large percentage of students who report having
most likely to select “none” (23.6%). Students
participated in summer bridge programs identify
who select two or more races/ethnicities are
as White (37.2%), with additional participation
more likely to report being Agnostic (10%)
from students who identify as Latino (21.4%),
than students from any other racial/ethnic back-
Black (16.5%), Asian (9.3%), Native American
ground. While seven out of 10 White students
(0.5%), two or more race/ethnicities (13.6%),
affiliate with a specific religion, White students
and other (1.4%). Comparing these figures to
are also most likely to report being Atheist
the overall racial/ethnic composition of first-
(6.8%). Black students (85.8%) are by far the
time, full-time students this fall, it is clear that
most likely of any racial/ethnic group to identify
students enrolling in summer bridge programs
with a particular religion—at least 10 percentage
are less likely to identify as White and more
points higher than any other group.
likely to identify as Latino, Black, or multiracial.
This point becomes clearer when considering As we reported earlier, the 2015 instrument
the within-group representation. Among African includes an item asking students to report their
American/Black students, 10.8% have partici- sexual orientation, and Figure 16 shows differ-
pated in a summer bridge program. Similarly, ences in religious preference by students’ sexual
12.5% of Latino students and 9.4% of Native orientation. Nearly three-quarters (72.7%) of
American students report participating in a heterosexual students indicate an affiliation with
summer bridge program. By contrast, 5.2% a particular religion, which more than doubled
of Asian/Pacific Islander and 3.6% of White the same proportion for students identifying as
students report participating in a summer queer (36.1%). Queer students are more likely
bridge program. than their peers to select Agnostic (25.1%) or

22
 Figure 15. Differences in Students Not Affiliating with a Particular Religion,
by Race/Ethnicity
50
45
40
35 9.4
% of Students

30
6.5 10.0
25 8.9
7.0 5.6 5.3
20 6.1
2.0 3.8 6.8 3.8
15
3.0
23.6 1.3
10
16.1 16.2 14.3 15.5 16.7
5 9.9
0
Native American Asian Black Hispanic White Other Two or more
race/ethnicity
None Atheist Agnostic

Atheist (18.4%), while more than one-quarter 2014, the proportion of students at Catholic
of students who identify as lesbian (26.5%) colleges not identifying with any religion
selected “none,” more than any of their peers. increased to 14.9%. Similarly, the proportion of
students selecting “none” as their religious pref-
Students’ religious preferences also differ across
erence at other religious colleges rose to 17.4%.
institutional types. Students at public universi-
These figures continue to climb in 2015, with
ties (64.7%) and private nonsectarian four-year
16.7% of students at Catholic colleges selecting
colleges (66.2%) are among the least likely to
either Agnostic (4.7%), Atheist (2.5%), or none
affiliate with a specific religion. By contrast,
(9.5%). At other religious colleges, 21.1% of
83.2% of students at Catholic colleges and
students do not identify with a particular reli-
79.9% of students at other religious four-year
gion with 3.2% of incoming students selecting
colleges identify with a particular religion. In

Figure 16. Differences in Students Not Affiliating with a Particular Religion,

70 by Sexual Orientation

60

50 25.1
18.3 20.7
21.8
16.0
% of Students

40

30 15.7 9.0 14.0

14.0 18.4

7.3
20
5.3
26.5
23.2 21.3 23.6
10 20.4
14.7

0
Heterosexual/ Gay Lesbian Bisexual Queer Other
Straight
None Atheist Agnostic

23
 Atheist, 5.5% choosing Agnostic, and 11.4% In addition to students’ political orientations,
marking “none” as their religious preference. their political views seem increasingly aligned
with progressive or liberal platforms. As shown
in Figure 17, more than half of incoming
Incoming Freshmen Continue freshmen (52.3%) agree that students from
Drifting Left Politically disadvantaged social backgrounds should be
The CIRP Freshman Survey provides several given preferential treatment in the college admis-
data points that might be instructive as we sions process, which is up 3.4 percentage points
approach the 2016 election. Since 1970 we have over 2014 and 10.4 percentage points above
asked students to rate their political orienta- the level reported in 2012—before the Supreme
tion on a five-point scale, from “far right” to Court initially weighed in on the first iteration
“far left.” For the past several years, greater of the Fisher v. University of Texas case.
proportions of students have identified as either
The statement that women should receive the
“liberal” or “far left.” Roughly one-third of the
same salary and opportunities for advance-
students (33.5%) who entered a four-year insti-
ment as men in comparable positions has near
tution in the fall of 2015 identify as “liberal”
universal support with 95.4% of incoming
or “far left,” 1.8 percentage points higher than
freshmen endorsing this view. Support for the
in 2014 and 3.9 points higher than in 2012.
legalization of marijuana has also garnered
This figure represents the highest proportion of
greater favor with this year’s entering cohort, as
left-leaning students since 36.4% of students
56.4% of students support legalizing marijuana.
identified as liberal or far left in 1973. About
Support for legalizing marijuana has jumped
one in five students (21.6%) identify as “conser-
7.3 percentage points since we last asked it on
vative” or “far right,” which was similar to 2014
the 2011 instrument. Since 2011, four states
when 21% of students did the same.
(Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska)

Figure 17. Examining Students’ Political Views

Students from disadvantaged social backgrounds should

be given preferential treatment in college admissions. 41.8 10.5

Women should receive the same salary and opportunities

15.3 80.1
for advancement as men in comparable positions.

Marijuana should be legalized. Agree Somewhat

35.5 20.9
Strongly Agree

Abortion should be legal. 30.8 32.7

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
% of Students

24
and the District of Columbia have legalized vote in a local, state, or national election while
recreational use. in college. In 2014, just over half (50.3%) of
students reported their chances of voting in
Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63.5%)
a local, state, or national election were “very
believe that abortion should be legal. Support for
good.” This year, 59.8% of students think that
the continued legality of abortion has increased
they are very likely to vote in an election while
by 2.5 percentage points since it last appeared
in college. As we have noted in the introduction,
on the survey in 2012. Additionally, this year
students who entered four-year colleges for the
represents the greatest level of support for
first time in 2015 are sending signals that they
maintaining the legal status of abortions since
expect to be incredibly committed to political
1992 when 67.2% of students either “agreed” or
and civic engagement, and findings pertaining to
“agreed strongly.”
students’ expectations to participate in elections
Finally, a relatively new item on the survey asks further underscore that point.
students to rate the likelihood that they will

25
 References

Bowman, N. A., Park, J. J., & Denson, N. (2015) Student involvement in ethnic student organi-
zations: Examining civic outcomes 6 years after graduation. Research in Higher Education, 56(2),
127–145.

Eagan, M. K., & Garvey, J. C. (2015) Stressing out: Connecting race, gender, and stress with faculty
productivity. The Journal of Higher Education, 86(6), 923–954.

Eagan, M. K., Jaeger, A. J., & Grantham, A. (2015) Supporting the academic majority: Policies
and practices related to part-time faculty’s job satisfaction. The Journal of Higher Education, 86(3),
448–483.

Eagan, K., Stolzenberg, E. B., Ramirez, J. J., Aragon, M. C., Suchard, M. R., & Hurtado, S. (2014).
The American freshman: National norms fall 2014. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute,
UCLA.

Garibay, J. C. (2015). STEM students’ social agency and views on working for social change: Are
STEM disciplines developing socially and civically responsible students? Journal of Research in Science
Teaching, 52(5), 610–632.

Gault, B., Reichlin, L., & Román, S. (2014). College affordability for low-income adults: Improving
returns on investment for families and society. Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
Retrieved from http://lumina.donet.com/publications/ideas_summit/College_Affordability_for_
Low-Income_Adults.pdf

Hurtado, S., & Ruiz Alvarado, A. (2015). Discrimination and bias, underrepresentation, and sense of
belonging on campus. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Hurtado, S., Ruiz Alvarado, A., & Guillermo-Wann, C. (2015) Thinking about race: The salience
of racial identity at two- and four-year colleges and the climate for diversity. The Journal of Higher
Education, 86(1), 127–155.

Jayakumar, U. M. (2015). Why are all the black students still sitting together in the proverbial college
­cafeteria? A look at research informing the figurative question being taken by the Supreme Court in Fisher.
Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Kelchen, R., & Goldrick-Rab, S. (2015). Accelerating college knowledge: A fiscal analysis of a targeted
early commitment Pell Grant Program. The Journal of Higher Education, 86(2), 199–232.

Kezar, A. (2000). Summer bridge programs: Supporting all students. ERIC Digest. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Education.

Sablan, J. R. (2013). The challenge of summer bridge programs. American Behavioral Scientist, 58(8),
1035–1050.

Sax, L. J., Kanny, M. A., Riggers-Piehl, T. A., Whang, H., & Paulson, L. N. (2015). “But I’m not
good at math”: The changing salience of mathematical self-concept in shaping women’s and men’s
STEM ­aspirations. Research in Higher Education, 56(8), 813–842.

26
United States Department of Education. (2010). A blueprint for reform: The reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/
blueprint/blueprint.pdf.

United States Department of Education. (2015). Federal Pell Grant Program. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html.

27
 2015 National Norms

All First-Time, Full-Time Freshmen

by Institutional Type

Please refer to the HERI website publications section for

information on how to obtain the expanded set of tables.
http://heri.ucla.edu/research-publications.php
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
First-time Full-time Freshmen 141,189 79,741 61,448 20,404 59,337 26,548 16,708 16,081 40,430 21,018 5,504 2,813 2,691
How old will you be on December 31 of this year?
17 or younger 1.8 1.7 1.9 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.3 1.9 2.0 2.7 2.2 3.7
18 68.2 66.6 70.0 67.4 65.7 67.4 70.9 61.3 70.4 68.5 70.7 69.6 72.7
19 28.0 28.8 27.0 27.3 30.7 28.7 26.4 34.9 26.8 28.1 23.4 24.4 21.6
20 or older 2.0 2.9 1.1 3.6 2.0 2.1 1.0 2.4 1.0 1.4 3.2 3.9 2.0
Is English your native language?
Yes 89.5 89.8 89.1 88.6 91.2 89.9 90.8 92.8 89.8 86.7 97.4 97.9 96.7
No 10.5 10.2 10.9 11.4 8.8 10.1 9.2 7.2 10.2 13.3 2.6 2.1 3.3
In what year did you graduate from high school?
2015 96.9 95.5 98.4 94.0 97.4 96.9 99.1 97.1 98.5 98.0 96.5 96.5 96.5
2014 2.2 3.2 1.2 4.4 1.8 2.2 0.6 2.0 1.1 1.6 2.5 2.3 2.7
2013 or earlier 0.8 1.1 0.4 1.5 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.8 0.4 0.4 1.0 1.1 0.8
Passed G.E.D./Never completed high school 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0
Are you enrolled (or enrolling) as a:
Full-time student 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Part-time student 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
How many miles is this college from your
permanent home?
5 or less 5.2 6.5 3.7 8.4 4.2 3.6 6.8 3.6 3.9 3.2 5.2 6.0 3.9
6 to 10 6.1 7.5 4.7 9.8 4.8 3.5 8.6 4.1 4.9 3.9 4.6 5.0 4.0
11 to 50 24.1 24.9 23.4 27.7 21.5 19.3 30.2 19.3 24.2 20.1 19.9 22.1 16.0
51 to 100 14.5 15.9 13.1 13.4 18.8 17.3 16.6 21.4 14.2 8.9 16.8 22.7 6.6
101 to 500 29.4 25.1 34.1 20.8 30.1 28.8 25.1 34.1 36.4 25.3 29.8 31.5 26.6
Over 500 20.6 20.2 21.0 19.8 20.7 27.5 12.7 17.5 16.5 38.6 23.6 12.6 42.8
What was your average grade in high school?
A or A+ 31.2 23.2 39.9 21.8 24.9 24.6 24.4 25.5 39.8 40.0 11.8 9.5 15.7
A- 27.5 24.5 30.7 22.7 26.6 27.2 28.8 24.9 30.3 32.0 14.3 12.4 17.7
B+ 18.2 21.1 15.0 20.9 21.4 21.5 23.2 20.5 15.0 15.3 23.0 22.1 24.6
B 15.4 20.0 10.4 22.4 17.1 17.7 15.9 17.1 10.7 9.2 24.6 24.9 24.2
B- 4.9 6.9 2.7 7.8 5.8 5.7 4.8 6.4 2.8 2.3 14.3 16.4 10.6
C+ 2.1 3.1 1.0 3.3 2.9 2.4 2.4 3.7 1.1 0.8 8.8 11.0 4.9
C 0.7 1.1 0.3 1.1 1.2 0.8 0.6 1.8 0.3 0.3 3.1 3.7 2.2
D 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1
From what kind of high school did you graduate?
Public school (not charter or magnet) 73.9 74.2 73.7 77.2 70.5 69.8 59.9 76.6 77.4 58.9 77.0 83.1 66.2
Public charter school 4.1 5.1 3.0 6.7 3.1 3.0 3.7 2.9 3.2 2.3 6.2 5.9 6.7
Public magnet school 4.0 4.1 3.8 5.3 2.6 3.1 2.5 2.2 3.9 3.5 8.2 7.4 9.5
Private religious/parochial school 10.2 9.8 10.7 7.1 13.0 10.8 24.5 9.5 8.6 19.0 5.3 2.3 10.7
Private independent college-prep school 7.0 5.8 8.3 2.8 9.4 12.6 9.0 6.3 6.5 15.4 3.0 1.1 6.3
Home school 0.8 1.0 0.5 0.8 1.3 0.7 0.4 2.4 0.4 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.6
Prior to this term, have you ever taken courses for
credit at this institution?
Yes 5.7 6.5 4.7 7.8 5.0 4.9 6.4 4.5 4.9 4.1 8.9 10.0 6.8
No 94.3 93.5 95.3 92.2 95.0 95.1 93.6 95.5 95.1 95.9 91.1 90.0 93.2
31
32

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Since leaving high school, have you ever taken
courses, whether for credit or not for credit, at
any other institution (university, 4- or 2-year
college, technical, vocational, or business school)?
Yes 10.9 11.1 10.7 11.0 11.1 10.9 10.3 11.9 10.9 9.6 13.7 12.7 15.5
No 89.1 88.9 89.3 89.0 88.9 89.1 89.7 88.1 89.1 90.4 86.3 87.3 84.5
Where do you plan to live during the fall term?
With my family or other relatives 15.3 20.3 9.9 29.4 9.5 7.8 16.7 7.8 10.4 8.0 6.5 6.5 6.5
Other private home, apartment, or room 2.0 1.9 2.2 2.7 0.9 1.1 0.7 0.7 2.6 0.6 1.4 1.5 1.4
College residence hall 79.8 75.5 84.5 65.1 88.0 88.9 81.9 90.1 82.9 90.6 89.4 89.3 89.5
Fraternity or sorority house 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.1 1.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0
Other campus student housing 2.0 1.7 2.3 2.3 1.0 1.3 0.6 0.9 2.7 0.6 2.3 2.3 2.3
Other 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3
To how many colleges other than this one did you
apply for admission this year?
None 10.6 12.7 8.3 14.9 10.2 10.1 7.5 11.7 8.9 5.8 7.8 9.3 5.1
1 7.4 7.6 7.3 8.3 6.7 5.8 4.8 8.7 8.1 4.2 5.3 5.6 4.7
2 10.2 10.4 9.9 10.9 9.9 8.3 6.6 13.1 11.0 5.7 11.2 12.9 8.2
3 13.1 14.0 12.1 14.8 13.0 11.3 10.4 16.0 13.2 7.9 16.8 18.4 14.0
4 12.5 13.5 11.4 13.8 13.2 12.2 11.6 15.1 11.8 9.6 15.8 16.2 15.1
5 10.0 10.3 9.7 9.5 11.2 11.5 11.7 10.5 9.5 10.2 12.9 13.0 12.8
6 7.8 7.3 8.2 6.7 8.0 8.7 9.5 6.6 7.9 9.5 8.1 7.5 9.1
7 to 8 13.1 12.1 14.2 11.8 12.4 14.0 17.0 8.5 13.1 18.6 9.6 7.8 12.6
9 to 10 7.8 6.3 9.3 5.4 7.5 8.7 10.7 4.7 8.3 13.4 6.0 4.4 8.7
11 or more 7.6 5.7 9.7 3.9 7.9 9.3 10.3 5.2 8.3 15.1 6.6 4.9 9.7
Were you accepted by your first choice college?
Yes 75.5 78.3 72.4 77.6 79.2 76.4 75.2 84.1 73.8 66.7 76.8 74.4 81.0
No 24.5 21.7 27.6 22.4 20.8 23.6 24.8 15.9 26.2 33.3 23.2 25.6 19.0
Is this college your:
First choice 58.9 59.5 58.3 60.3 58.5 58.3 53.5 61.4 59.3 54.3 47.2 41.7 57.0
Second choice 25.7 25.8 25.6 25.2 26.4 26.9 29.1 24.6 25.4 26.5 31.8 34.2 27.6
Third choice 9.5 9.3 9.7 9.0 9.7 9.6 11.2 9.0 9.3 11.4 12.3 14.1 9.1
Less than third choice 5.9 5.4 6.3 5.5 5.4 5.3 6.2 5.0 6.0 7.8 8.7 10.1 6.3
Citizenship status:
U.S. citizen 95.0 95.9 94.1 96.9 94.6 92.7 96.4 95.8 94.9 90.9 98.2 99.0 96.9
Permanent resident (green card) 1.8 1.5 2.1 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.8 0.9 2.1 2.1 0.6 0.5 0.7
International student (F-1 or M-1 visa) 2.5 1.7 3.2 0.4 3.4 5.2 1.1 2.6 2.4 6.5 1.0 0.3 2.3
None of the above 0.7 0.8 0.6 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.2
Are your parents:
Both alive and living with each other 71.3 67.5 75.4 65.8 69.5 69.1 72.0 68.6 75.0 77.0 33.9 30.7 39.7
Both alive, divorced or living apart 25.4 28.7 21.7 30.4 26.8 27.3 24.2 27.6 22.1 20.1 59.0 61.5 54.4
One or both deceased 3.4 3.8 2.9 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.9 2.9 2.8 7.1 7.8 5.9
Please mark which of the following courses you
have completed:
Algebra II 98.1 97.9 98.4 98.3 97.3 96.8 98.2 97.5 98.6 97.9 95.0 94.8 95.6
Pre-calculus/Trigonometry 86.3 81.7 91.0 81.8 81.6 83.8 85.8 76.9 90.4 93.1 68.3 60.9 80.1
Probability & Statistics 34.8 32.0 37.7 30.0 34.2 36.1 29.6 34.7 37.6 38.1 26.2 23.8 30.3
Calculus 41.6 32.3 50.8 31.2 33.5 37.0 33.4 29.9 49.2 56.9 19.3 15.2 26.0
AP Probability & Statistics 23.4 16.6 30.3 16.6 16.5 18.8 14.7 15.1 31.0 27.5 10.3 7.3 15.2
AP Calculus 42.7 30.6 54.4 34.2 26.5 28.9 26.6 23.8 54.2 55.2 14.3 10.5 20.5
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
How many weeks this summer did you participate
in a bridge program at this institution?
0 94.4 92.5 96.5 89.9 95.5 95.2 94.9 96.1 96.6 96.2 91.2 90.0 93.3
One to two 2.1 2.8 1.3 2.7 2.9 3.2 3.0 2.7 1.0 2.2 1.8 1.8 1.6
Three to four 1.3 2.0 0.4 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.3 0.8 0.4 0.7 1.3 1.4 1.0
Five to six 1.6 2.0 1.2 3.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.3 1.4 0.7 5.2 6.3 3.3
Seven or more 0.6 0.7 0.6 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.8
Have you had any remedial work in any of the
following subjects?
English 8.5 10.1 6.8 9.8 10.6 10.4 10.8 10.7 6.5 8.1 14.4 16.9 10.1
Reading 7.0 8.4 5.4 7.9 9.0 8.5 10.2 9.1 5.2 6.2 12.6 14.7 8.9
Mathematics 16.6 19.2 13.8 18.5 20.0 20.3 22.9 18.3 13.0 16.9 20.5 21.8 18.4
Social Studies 4.9 6.0 3.7 5.7 6.4 5.5 7.4 6.8 3.5 4.4 10.5 11.9 8.0
Science 7.4 8.2 6.4 7.5 9.1 8.8 10.5 8.6 6.0 8.1 10.8 11.9 8.7
Foreign Language 6.3 7.4 5.1 6.7 8.3 7.8 9.3 8.3 4.7 6.6 10.5 11.6 8.5
Writing 6.6 7.8 5.4 7.3 8.4 8.1 9.4 8.2 5.1 6.5 10.3 11.8 7.7
Do you feel you will need any remedial work in
any of the following subjects?
English 11.3 13.7 8.8 14.0 13.4 13.1 12.4 14.1 8.8 9.0 16.0 18.5 11.6
Reading 6.2 7.4 4.9 7.4 7.4 7.2 7.0 7.7 4.9 4.9 10.2 12.2 6.6
Mathematics 27.8 32.7 22.6 35.6 29.2 28.5 30.9 29.2 22.8 21.7 44.8 44.4 45.4
Social Studies 5.1 6.2 3.9 6.6 5.7 5.2 6.3 6.0 4.0 3.8 9.2 10.8 6.3
Science 15.8 17.6 14.0 18.1 17.0 16.5 18.8 16.7 14.1 13.6 22.5 23.7 20.3
Foreign Language 13.0 15.5 10.3 14.4 16.8 14.7 16.5 19.1 10.2 10.9 25.9 28.5 21.4
Writing 15.2 18.1 12.1 17.5 18.9 18.3 17.6 20.1 11.8 13.4 20.8 22.7 17.3
How many Advanced Placement/International
Baccalaureate courses or exams did you take in
high school?
AP Courses
Not offered at my high school 5.8 6.3 5.3 5.2 7.5 7.8 4.6 8.7 4.8 7.3 7.2 7.6 6.5
None 17.4 24.7 9.6 24.2 25.3 23.1 24.3 28.1 9.6 9.6 41.0 48.1 28.7
1 to 4 44.1 47.1 40.9 46.4 48.0 47.6 51.1 46.7 41.5 38.6 43.0 39.0 49.9
5 to 9 27.4 19.0 36.4 20.6 17.1 18.9 18.4 14.6 36.2 37.2 7.4 4.1 13.0
10 to 14 4.9 2.6 7.4 3.2 1.9 2.3 1.4 1.7 7.5 6.8 1.1 0.8 1.7
15+ 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.2
AP Exams
Not offered at my high school 6.1 6.7 5.4 5.7 7.9 7.9 4.9 9.5 5.0 7.0 8.1 8.6 7.1
None 22.5 30.9 13.5 30.1 31.9 28.9 30.2 35.9 13.6 13.2 48.3 55.2 36.3
1 to 4 43.2 44.8 41.4 44.7 44.9 45.5 48.5 42.3 41.8 39.8 37.2 31.7 46.8
5 to 9 23.9 15.4 33.0 16.7 13.9 15.9 15.3 11.0 32.8 33.9 5.5 3.6 8.9
10 to 14 4.1 2.0 6.3 2.6 1.3 1.7 1.0 1.1 6.5 5.6 0.6 0.5 0.8
15+ 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.1
IB Courses
Not offered at my high school 59.0 53.2 65.5 52.1 54.4 55.6 56.0 52.4 64.6 68.9 35.8 31.2 44.5
None 32.3 40.0 23.7 41.8 38.1 35.3 38.8 40.7 24.6 20.0 56.5 62.4 45.1
1 to 4 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.4 3.4 2.7 3.8 3.2 3.2 4.1 3.7 4.8
5 to 9 4.5 2.9 6.3 2.6 3.3 4.7 2.1 2.5 6.2 6.7 2.2 1.3 3.8
10 to 14 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.5 1.0
15+ 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.8
33
34

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
How many Advanced Placement/International
Baccalaureate courses or exams did you take in
high school?
IB Exams
Not offered at my high school 59.3 53.5 65.7 52.4 54.8 56.0 56.4 52.7 64.9 69.0 36.2 31.7 44.9
None 33.5 41.0 25.0 42.7 39.0 36.3 39.5 41.5 26.1 20.9 57.5 63.2 46.7
1 to 4 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.0 2.8 2.7 2.1 3.2 2.1 2.6 3.5 3.3 3.9
5 to 9 4.1 2.5 5.8 2.3 2.8 4.1 1.8 1.9 5.6 6.4 2.0 1.0 3.7
10 to 14 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.4
15+ 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.4
At this institution, which course placement tests
have you taken in the following subject areas:
English 21.5 28.6 13.6 36.5 19.0 22.6 22.0 13.6 13.5 14.0 55.8 68.4 29.9
Reading 14.3 21.3 6.5 30.1 10.7 10.7 15.3 8.3 6.5 6.5 41.9 56.9 11.6
Mathematics 46.5 45.9 47.2 49.1 42.0 45.7 54.4 31.4 50.8 33.3 65.4 65.2 65.7
Writing 21.9 23.0 20.7 29.3 15.6 16.4 23.5 10.8 22.6 13.4 27.3 37.5 8.7
Please mark the sex of your parent(s) or
guardian(s).
Parent/Guardian 1
Female 29.8 33.0 26.3 33.7 32.1 32.8 33.1 30.9 26.1 27.1 61.6 63.5 58.2
Male 70.2 67.0 73.7 66.3 67.9 67.2 66.9 69.1 73.9 72.9 38.4 36.5 41.8
Parent/Guardian 2
Female 72.9 70.3 75.7 69.9 70.9 69.9 69.8 72.4 75.9 74.9 45.7 44.8 47.3
Male 27.1 29.7 24.3 30.1 29.1 30.1 30.2 27.6 24.1 25.1 54.3 55.2 52.7
Do you consider yourself:
Pre-Med 20.8 18.6 23.2 17.7 19.7 17.8 23.8 19.6 23.4 22.6 29.1 28.7 29.8
Pre-Law 6.6 6.9 6.2 6.8 7.1 7.7 7.7 6.3 5.7 8.3 11.1 11.8 10.0
Your intended major:
Arts and Humanities
Art, fine and applied 1.2 1.5 0.9 1.2 1.9 2.9 0.7 1.5 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.0
English (language and literature) 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.9 2.3 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.6 0.5 0.4 0.5
History 1.0 1.2 0.8 1.1 1.3 1.3 0.9 1.4 0.7 1.0 0.8 0.9 0.5
Journalism/Communication 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.5 2.1 2.1 2.7 1.8 1.8 2.7 4.3 3.5 5.7
Classical and Modern Languages and Literature 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2
Media/Film Studies 1.0 1.3 0.7 1.4 1.0 1.1 0.4 1.3 0.6 1.1 1.4 0.3 3.4
Music 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.8 1.3 1.3 0.3 1.6 1.1 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.1
Philosophy 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5
Theatre/Drama 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.0 0.3 1.8 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.7 1.3
Theology/Religion 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.4 1.0 0.1 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.4
Other Arts and Humanities 0.8 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.9 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.8
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Your intended major (continued):
Biological & Life Sciences
Biology (general) 7.4 6.4 8.5 5.2 7.9 6.9 10.9 7.4 8.4 8.9 11.0 8.9 14.8
Animal Biology (zoology) 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.8 1.0 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.4
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Marine Biology 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2
Microbiology 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1
Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology 0.7 0.5 1.0 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 1.0 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.2
Neurobiology/Neuroscience 1.5 0.8 2.2 0.4 1.3 1.4 0.9 1.4 2.1 3.0 0.6 0.6 0.5
Plant Biology (botany) 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4
Agriculture/Natural Resources 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.9 0.6
Biochemistry/Biophysics 1.6 1.1 2.0 1.0 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.3 2.1 1.7 0.3 0.1 0.6
Environmental Science 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.7 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.0
Other Biological Science 0.8 0.5 1.1 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.2 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.4
Business
Accounting 1.8 2.1 1.5 1.8 2.3 1.7 3.7 2.3 1.3 2.0 2.6 2.6 2.7
Business Administration (general) 2.4 2.8 2.0 2.0 3.9 3.6 3.4 4.4 1.9 2.2 2.9 3.3 2.4
Entrepreneurship 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.8 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7
Finance 2.2 1.5 3.1 0.9 2.1 2.0 4.3 1.2 2.5 5.4 1.2 0.5 2.3
Hospitality/Tourism 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.0
Human Resources Management 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0
International Business 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.5 1.4 0.8 0.6 1.7 1.0 0.2 2.5
Marketing 2.0 1.9 2.1 1.4 2.5 2.1 4.5 1.7 1.9 2.7 2.3 1.7 3.3
Management 2.1 2.9 1.3 3.4 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.6 1.2 1.7 4.4 5.0 3.4
Computer/Management Information Systems 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.2
Real Estate 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Other Business 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.4 1.1 1.6 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.3 0.3 0.3
Education
Elementary Education 1.6 2.2 1.0 2.2 2.3 1.3 2.1 3.6 1.0 1.0 1.6 2.0 0.9
Music/Art Education 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.3 1.0 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.9 0.4
Physical Education/Recreation 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.3 1.0 0.2 0.1 1.4 2.1 0.3
Secondary Education 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.7 1.2 0.8 1.1 1.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.4
Special Education 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.3
Other Education 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.2
Engineering
Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering 1.2 1.4 1.0 2.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.4
Biological/Agricultural Engineering 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.5 0.2
Biomedical Engineering 1.2 0.4 2.1 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.2 2.2 1.7 0.2 0.0 0.6
Chemical Engineering 1.1 0.5 1.8 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.2 1.9 1.7 0.6 0.1 1.3
Civil Engineering 1.3 1.6 1.0 2.5 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.5 1.2 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.9
Computer Engineering 1.4 1.0 1.7 1.4 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.4 1.9 0.9 1.2 0.7 2.1
Electrical/Electronic Communications Engineering 1.1 0.9 1.3 1.2 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 1.4 0.7 0.7 0.4 1.1
Engineering Science/Engineering Physics 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.6
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.0
Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.8 0.3 0.8 1.2 0.1
Materials Engineering 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2
Mechanical Engineering 3.5 3.2 3.8 4.9 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.3 4.2 2.4 1.1 0.4 2.5
Other Engineering 0.7 0.7 0.7 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.4
35
36

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Your intended major (continued):
Health Professions
Clinical Laboratory Science 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3
Health Care Administration/Studies 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.4
Health Technology 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1
Kinesiology 1.4 1.9 0.8 2.7 0.9 0.5 0.5 1.5 0.9 0.5 1.8 2.3 0.9
Nursing 4.3 5.0 3.7 5.2 4.7 4.0 7.7 3.8 3.9 2.7 8.5 12.2 2.0
Pharmacy 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.2 1.3 2.3 0.9 0.4 1.0 0.9 1.6 1.0 2.6
Therapy (occupational, physical, speech) 2.1 2.3 1.8 1.5 3.3 2.7 2.9 4.1 1.7 2.1 2.9 3.8 1.3
Other Health Profession 2.2 2.6 1.9 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.0 2.8 1.9 1.9 1.5 1.1 2.1
Math and Computer Science
Computer Science 3.8 3.2 4.4 4.0 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.2 4.7 3.6 3.1 2.8 3.6
Mathematics/Statistics 1.1 0.9 1.3 0.8 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.4 0.3 0.3 0.4
Other Math and Computer Science 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Physical Science
Astronomy & Astrophysics 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Atmospheric Science 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Chemistry 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.0 2.3
Earth & Planetary Sciences 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
Marine Sciences 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Physics 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.3
Other Physical Science 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Social Science
Anthropology 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Economics 1.4 0.9 1.8 0.6 1.2 1.7 1.2 0.7 1.5 3.0 0.2 0.0 0.6
Ethnic/Cultural Studies 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0
Geography 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Political Science (gov’t., international relations) 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.7 2.8 3.2 2.8 2.3 2.6 4.3 1.9 1.5 2.5
Psychology 4.2 4.7 3.7 4.5 5.0 4.5 5.4 5.3 3.6 4.1 6.5 6.6 6.2
Public Policy 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0
Social Work 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.3 2.3 3.2 0.8
Sociology 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.7 1.0
Women’s/Gender Studies 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other Social Science 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Other Majors
Architecture/Urban Planning 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.6
Criminal Justice 1.9 2.9 0.9 3.4 2.4 2.5 2.2 2.4 0.9 0.8 5.6 7.5 2.2
Library Science 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1
Security & Protective Services 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Military Sciences/Technology/Operations 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other 2.4 2.9 1.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 1.3 3.6 1.9 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.6
Undecided 8.9 8.5 9.2 8.1 9.0 10.2 8.5 8.0 9.4 8.5 2.8 2.6 3.2
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
How much of your first year’s educational
expenses (room, board, tuition, and fees) do you
expect to cover from each of the sources listed
below?
Family resources (parents, relatives, spouse, etc.)
None 29.2 36.5 21.3 46.9 24.0 24.0 21.4 25.3 22.8 15.4 41.3 44.4 35.8
$1 to $2,999 16.5 19.4 13.5 22.7 15.4 13.2 14.5 18.2 14.3 10.2 27.6 31.2 21.2
$3,000 to $5,999 10.7 11.1 10.2 10.7 11.6 10.2 11.4 13.1 10.7 8.0 13.3 12.4 14.8
$6,000 to $9,999 8.0 7.6 8.4 6.2 9.4 8.6 8.8 10.4 8.7 7.3 5.9 5.3 6.8
$10,000 to $14,999 8.8 7.6 10.0 5.0 10.6 10.1 10.0 11.4 10.3 9.0 4.6 3.4 6.9
$15,000 or more 26.9 17.8 36.6 8.5 29.0 33.8 33.8 21.5 33.2 50.1 7.3 3.3 14.5
My own resources (savings from work, work-
study, other income)
None 46.6 48.7 44.3 53.5 42.9 45.7 43.1 39.9 43.6 47.2 55.9 55.6 56.3
$1 to $2,999 36.9 35.7 38.1 34.3 37.4 36.0 37.0 39.2 38.7 35.4 33.0 34.0 31.1
$3,000 to $5,999 10.1 9.3 11.0 7.6 11.3 10.4 11.5 12.0 11.2 10.2 6.9 6.5 7.6
$6,000 to $9,999 3.1 3.0 3.2 2.4 3.8 3.4 4.0 4.2 3.3 3.0 2.1 2.1 2.1
$10,000 to $14,999 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.0 2.0 2.1 1.8 2.1 1.6 1.7 0.8 0.7 1.0
$15,000 or more 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.3 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.6 1.6 2.5 1.4 1.1 2.0
Aid which need not be repaid (grants,
scholarships, military funding, etc.)
None 31.0 27.1 35.3 31.3 22.0 25.6 22.5 17.9 36.9 28.7 29.1 30.6 26.4
$1 to $2,999 12.4 10.9 14.0 14.4 6.6 6.0 6.5 7.3 16.0 6.0 15.0 16.9 11.7
$3,000 to $5,999 11.5 11.5 11.4 14.5 8.0 7.2 8.1 8.8 12.8 5.9 18.6 21.4 13.7
$6,000 to $9,999 8.8 8.7 9.0 10.0 7.1 6.1 7.2 8.2 9.9 5.3 12.0 13.9 8.6
$10,000 to $14,999 10.4 10.8 9.9 9.0 13.0 11.4 13.2 14.6 9.9 9.9 8.8 7.6 11.0
$15,000 or more 25.9 31.0 20.4 20.8 43.3 43.6 42.5 43.3 14.5 44.2 16.4 9.6 28.7
Aid which must be repaid (loans, etc.)
None 55.6 54.5 56.8 64.3 42.9 46.9 41.9 39.1 57.5 53.8 38.8 39.0 38.6
$1 to $2,999 8.2 8.5 7.8 8.5 8.5 7.8 8.7 9.0 8.0 6.9 13.7 16.6 8.5
$3,000 to $5,999 14.8 14.9 14.7 12.6 17.8 16.3 18.9 18.8 14.8 14.3 17.7 20.3 13.0
$6,000 to $9,999 7.7 7.9 7.6 5.5 10.7 8.9 10.7 12.7 7.7 7.1 10.4 11.9 7.7
$10,000 to $14,999 5.8 6.2 5.3 4.0 8.9 8.0 8.2 10.3 5.1 6.2 7.4 6.4 9.2
$15,000 or more 7.8 7.9 7.8 5.1 11.2 12.1 11.6 10.1 6.8 11.8 12.0 5.8 23.0
Other than above
None 94.4 93.8 94.9 94.5 93.0 93.7 92.6 92.5 95.1 94.3 91.8 91.8 91.8
$1 to $2,999 2.5 2.7 2.3 2.7 2.8 2.4 3.1 3.0 2.3 2.2 3.4 3.7 3.0
$3,000 to $5,999 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.9 2.2 1.4
$6,000 to $9,999 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.9 0.7 0.8 1.1 0.5 0.5 1.1 1.2 1.0
$10,000 to $14,999 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7
$15,000 or more 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.3 0.7 1.6 1.1 0.5 2.1
37
38

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Did you receive any of the following forms of
financial aid?
Military grants
Yes 3.2 4.6 1.8 6.7 1.9 1.7 1.5 2.4 1.8 1.6 3.5 3.1 4.2
No 96.8 95.4 98.2 93.3 98.1 98.3 98.5 97.6 98.2 98.4 96.5 96.9 95.8
Work-study
Yes 20.9 21.4 20.4 10.4 34.5 34.9 32.4 35.3 18.4 28.0 15.1 17.7 10.8
No 79.1 78.6 79.6 89.6 65.5 65.1 67.6 64.7 81.6 72.0 84.9 82.3 89.2
Pell Grant
Yes 26.6 30.5 22.5 30.5 30.6 27.8 29.4 34.1 22.7 21.7 58.1 61.8 51.4
No 73.4 69.5 77.5 69.5 69.4 72.2 70.6 65.9 77.3 78.3 41.9 38.2 48.6
Need-based grants or scholarships
Yes 36.6 37.9 35.3 27.6 50.0 50.2 47.7 50.9 33.5 42.3 43.3 44.3 41.4
No 63.4 62.1 64.7 72.4 50.0 49.8 52.3 49.1 66.5 57.7 56.7 55.7 58.6
Merit-based grants or scholarships
Yes 51.6 51.2 52.1 31.8 73.3 72.4 72.3 74.9 49.6 61.6 38.3 30.1 51.5
No 48.4 48.8 47.9 68.2 26.7 27.6 27.7 25.1 50.4 38.4 61.7 69.9 48.5
What is your best estimate of your parents’/
guardians’ total income last year?
Less than $10,000 3.5 4.6 2.3 5.3 3.9 3.4 3.9 4.3 2.2 2.5 14.5 17.7 8.9
$10,000 to $14,999 2.9 3.7 1.9 4.6 2.7 2.3 3.0 2.9 2.0 1.8 7.9 9.8 4.6
$15,000 to $19,999 2.5 3.1 1.7 3.6 2.5 2.2 2.4 2.9 1.7 1.7 5.9 6.8 4.2
$20,000 to $24,999 3.5 4.2 2.8 4.8 3.5 3.1 3.3 3.9 2.9 2.3 6.9 7.7 5.7
$25,000 to $29,999 2.7 3.3 2.1 3.6 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.1 2.2 2.0 5.7 6.4 4.6
$30,000 to $39,999 5.4 6.4 4.3 6.8 5.8 5.3 5.2 6.7 4.4 3.9 9.2 9.7 8.4
$40,000 to $49,999 6.5 7.6 5.3 8.0 7.2 6.8 6.3 8.1 5.4 5.1 9.5 9.1 10.2
$50,000 to $59,999 7.4 8.4 6.4 8.6 8.1 7.9 6.6 9.1 6.7 5.6 9.2 8.8 10.0
$60,000 to $74,999 9.3 10.2 8.3 10.1 10.4 10.2 9.0 11.3 8.5 7.4 8.6 8.2 9.3
$75,000 to $99,999 12.4 12.6 12.1 12.4 12.9 13.0 11.5 13.6 12.4 10.7 8.6 7.8 10.1
$100,000 to $149,999 18.4 16.6 20.4 16.1 17.1 17.4 17.4 16.7 20.9 18.6 7.9 5.0 13.1
$150,000 to $199,999 9.6 8.2 11.2 7.9 8.6 9.2 9.8 7.4 11.2 10.8 3.2 1.6 6.0
$200,000 to $249,999 5.8 4.4 7.3 3.8 5.2 5.8 6.6 4.0 7.1 8.1 1.2 0.8 1.9
$250,000 or more 10.1 6.5 13.9 4.3 9.3 10.8 12.1 6.1 12.4 19.7 1.5 0.6 3.0
Do you have any concern about your ability to
finance your college education?
None (I am confident that I will have sufficient funds) 35.3 35.9 34.8 40.3 30.6 32.4 30.6 28.8 34.1 37.1 24.4 24.8 23.7
Some (but I probably will have enough funds) 52.6 51.4 53.9 47.7 55.8 54.4 55.7 57.4 54.6 51.6 52.9 54.1 50.9
Major (not sure I will have enough funds to
complete college) 12.0 12.7 11.3 12.1 13.5 13.2 13.8 13.8 11.3 11.2 22.7 21.1 25.4
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Your current religious preference
Agnostic 8.3 6.7 10.0 6.7 6.6 8.7 4.7 5.5 10.3 8.7 1.5 0.7 3.0
Atheist 5.9 4.5 7.5 4.4 4.5 6.7 2.5 3.2 7.9 5.9 0.8 0.8 0.8
Baptist 7.6 10.2 4.7 10.1 10.3 7.4 4.8 16.0 4.6 5.0 40.3 42.4 36.6
Buddhist 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.0 0.7 1.4 1.1 0.7 0.5 0.9
Church of Christ 5.9 7.5 4.1 8.2 6.5 6.6 4.8 7.4 4.4 3.2 17.4 20.2 12.5
Eastern Orthodox 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.4 0.9 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.2
Episcopalian 1.1 0.9 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.7 0.9 0.8 1.3 1.2 0.5 0.3 1.0
Hindu 1.0 0.4 1.7 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.3 1.7 1.9 0.1 0.1 0.2
Jewish 2.7 1.4 4.1 1.0 1.8 2.9 0.4 1.5 4.0 4.8 0.1 0.1 0.3
LDS (Mormon) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
Lutheran 2.8 2.5 3.1 1.7 3.6 2.1 1.8 6.0 3.5 1.4 0.2 0.2 0.2
Methodist 3.0 3.3 2.8 2.7 4.0 3.2 1.7 6.0 3.1 1.7 3.4 3.0 4.2
Muslim 1.6 1.1 2.2 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.4 0.7 2.1 2.9 1.8 1.5 2.2
Presbyterian 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.1 1.5 3.1 2.6 2.2 0.7 0.6 0.9
Quaker 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1
Roman Catholic 24.3 24.6 24.1 25.0 24.1 21.1 52.0 13.0 21.9 32.4 3.9 2.0 7.1
Seventh-day Adventist 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.7 1.3
United Church of Christ/Congregational 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
Other Christian 12.4 14.5 10.1 14.8 14.2 11.0 8.6 20.3 10.2 10.0 15.7 14.7 17.4
Other Religion 2.1 2.3 1.8 2.5 2.1 2.3 1.5 2.2 1.9 1.6 2.2 2.3 1.9
None 15.4 14.5 16.4 15.0 13.9 18.5 9.5 11.4 17.1 13.5 8.8 9.1 8.4
Parent/Guardian 1’s current religious preference
Agnostic 3.2 2.5 3.9 2.4 2.6 3.7 1.4 2.2 4.0 3.5 0.3 0.1 0.8
Atheist 2.8 2.1 3.5 1.9 2.4 3.6 1.2 1.7 3.6 3.0 0.4 0.3 0.6
Baptist 8.4 10.9 5.7 10.8 11.1 8.8 5.4 16.5 5.7 5.8 43.3 45.0 40.3
Buddhist 1.8 1.4 2.2 1.6 1.2 1.7 1.0 0.8 2.3 1.7 0.8 0.7 0.8
Church of Christ 7.0 8.6 5.3 9.7 7.4 8.0 5.6 7.8 5.7 3.9 17.9 20.6 13.3
Eastern Orthodox 1.0 0.8 1.2 0.9 0.7 0.8 1.0 0.4 1.2 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.2
Episcopalian 1.5 1.3 1.8 1.0 1.6 2.1 1.2 1.2 1.8 1.7 0.7 0.5 1.2
Hindu 1.3 0.5 2.2 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.4 2.2 2.5 0.2 0.1 0.4
Jewish 3.3 1.8 5.0 1.2 2.5 3.9 0.9 1.8 4.8 5.7 0.2 0.1 0.2
LDS (Mormon) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.0
Lutheran 3.6 3.2 3.9 2.3 4.4 2.8 2.4 7.0 4.4 2.0 0.3 0.2 0.3
Methodist 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.3 4.6 3.9 2.0 6.6 4.0 2.3 3.4 2.6 4.8
Muslim 1.9 1.2 2.6 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.7 0.9 2.4 3.3 2.1 1.7 2.8
Presbyterian 3.1 2.9 3.3 2.7 3.0 2.9 1.9 3.7 3.4 3.0 0.7 0.6 1.0
Quaker 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1
Roman Catholic 29.3 29.2 29.5 30.4 27.8 25.5 55.2 16.0 27.5 37.1 4.7 2.6 8.4
Seventh-day Adventist 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.5 1.2
United Church of Christ/Congregational 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.1 0.5 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.6
Other Christian 13.7 15.6 11.6 16.2 14.9 12.5 9.4 20.4 11.7 11.0 15.7 15.0 16.8
Other Religion 2.0 2.3 1.6 2.5 2.0 2.2 1.4 2.1 1.7 1.4 2.3 2.6 1.9
None 10.6 9.8 11.4 9.8 9.9 12.8 6.3 8.8 12.0 9.3 5.1 5.6 4.2
39
40

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Parent/Guardian 2’s current religious preference
Agnostic 2.8 2.2 3.5 2.0 2.4 3.3 1.3 1.9 3.6 3.1 0.4 0.2 0.7
Atheist 2.3 1.8 2.8 1.5 2.2 3.3 1.0 1.6 2.9 2.4 0.5 0.4 0.6
Baptist 8.0 10.4 5.5 10.4 10.3 8.2 4.7 15.5 5.5 5.5 41.5 42.9 39.3
Buddhist 1.9 1.5 2.3 1.6 1.2 1.7 1.1 0.8 2.4 1.9 0.8 0.7 1.0
Church of Christ 7.0 8.5 5.5 9.6 7.1 7.8 5.2 7.3 5.9 3.8 16.9 20.2 11.5
Eastern Orthodox 1.0 0.8 1.3 0.9 0.8 0.9 1.1 0.5 1.2 1.4 0.2 0.1 0.3
Episcopalian 1.5 1.2 1.8 1.0 1.5 2.1 1.1 1.1 1.8 1.6 0.5 0.2 1.1
Hindu 1.4 0.5 2.3 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.5 2.2 2.6 0.3 0.1 0.5
Jewish 3.2 1.8 4.7 1.4 2.4 3.7 0.7 1.8 4.5 5.4 0.1 0.0 0.1
LDS (Mormon) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.0
Lutheran 3.6 3.2 4.0 2.2 4.4 2.9 2.5 7.0 4.5 2.1 0.2 0.2 0.2
Methodist 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.3 4.6 3.8 2.1 6.7 4.0 2.2 3.0 2.2 4.3
Muslim 2.0 1.3 2.6 1.2 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.0 2.4 3.4 3.0 2.3 4.2
Presbyterian 3.1 2.8 3.4 2.7 3.1 3.1 1.8 3.7 3.5 3.1 0.7 0.6 1.0
Quaker 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1
Roman Catholic 29.6 29.4 29.8 30.6 28.0 25.8 55.3 16.1 27.8 37.7 4.2 2.3 7.3
Seventh-day Adventist 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.9 0.6 1.4
United Church of Christ/Congregational 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.9
Other Christian 13.7 15.5 11.9 15.8 15.0 12.4 9.2 20.8 12.1 11.0 15.5 15.0 16.5
Other Religion 2.0 2.3 1.7 2.5 2.1 2.3 1.5 2.2 1.7 1.5 2.7 3.1 1.9
None 11.3 10.9 11.7 10.8 10.9 13.9 7.3 9.6 12.3 9.8 7.9 8.3 7.2
Highest academic degree planned
None 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.3 1.5 1.8 1.0
Vocational certificate 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.1
Associate (A.A. or equivalent) 0.8 1.2 0.3 1.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.9 0.3 0.2 1.0 1.4 0.4
Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) 21.1 23.9 18.0 25.2 22.4 20.0 18.5 26.8 19.1 13.8 18.1 21.4 12.5
Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) 42.1 42.9 41.2 44.0 41.7 41.4 45.7 40.0 41.1 41.8 35.6 37.5 32.3
Ph.D. or Ed.D. 19.1 18.3 19.8 17.5 19.4 21.5 17.5 18.0 19.8 20.1 27.6 25.8 30.7
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. 11.2 7.9 14.9 6.5 9.5 9.4 11.5 8.6 14.7 15.5 9.3 5.9 15.2
J.D. (Law) 4.1 3.6 4.6 3.2 4.1 4.9 4.7 3.0 4.0 6.9 4.9 4.0 6.4
B.D. or M.DIV. (Divinity) 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4
Other 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.1 0.6 1.1 1.3 1.6 0.9
Highest academic degree planned at this college
None 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.7 1.4 0.7 0.6 1.7 2.3 0.8
Vocational certificate 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2
Associate (A.A. or equivalent) 1.9 2.9 0.9 3.6 2.1 1.7 1.6 2.8 0.9 0.6 3.0 3.7 1.9
Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) 69.1 73.3 64.7 73.3 73.2 74.0 66.8 75.8 63.7 68.4 59.1 57.2 62.1
Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) 20.1 18.0 22.4 18.1 17.9 16.7 23.9 16.0 22.8 21.2 23.4 25.0 21.0
Ph.D. or Ed.D. 3.8 2.5 5.2 2.1 2.9 3.8 3.4 1.8 5.5 4.0 7.7 7.1 8.5
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. 2.4 0.7 4.3 0.6 0.9 0.9 1.8 0.3 4.6 2.9 1.8 0.8 3.5
J.D. (Law) 0.7 0.3 1.1 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.3 1.0 1.4 1.6 1.9 1.1
B.D. or M.DIV. (Divinity) 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1
Other 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.6 1.0 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.8 1.2 1.5 0.7
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
For the activities below, indicate which ones you
“Frequently” or “Occasionally” did during the
past year:
Attended a religious service 69.5 70.9 67.9 69.0 73.2 64.2 80.6 78.8 66.2 74.4 84.8 83.6 86.8
Was bored in class* 34.1 33.3 35.0 34.1 32.3 33.7 29.0 32.5 35.6 32.5 35.3 38.1 30.2
Demonstrated for a cause (e.g., boycott, rally, protest) 20.8 19.6 22.2 17.9 21.8 23.5 23.3 19.2 21.2 25.9 28.6 24.4 35.9
Tutored another student 61.1 56.2 66.6 57.7 54.3 53.6 59.4 52.3 66.1 68.5 55.8 51.7 62.9
Studied with other students 88.7 87.0 90.4 86.2 88.0 88.1 90.3 86.7 90.1 91.8 86.3 84.8 88.8
Smoked cigarettes* 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.7 1.5 1.9 1.0 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.0 1.2 0.5
Drank beer* 4.7 4.0 5.4 3.2 5.0 6.3 5.4 3.5 5.1 6.5 1.0 1.0 0.9
Drank wine or liquor 5.0 4.2 5.8 3.4 5.2 6.3 5.3 4.0 5.5 7.1 3.0 3.0 3.0
Felt overwhelmed by all I had to do* 34.1 34.2 34.0 32.2 36.7 37.1 35.8 36.8 33.9 34.6 33.7 32.8 35.3
Felt depressed* 9.5 10.2 8.8 9.7 10.9 11.6 8.9 11.2 8.7 8.9 11.4 11.5 11.1
Performed volunteer work 87.9 85.6 90.4 84.0 87.5 86.7 91.0 86.6 90.0 92.0 82.1 78.8 88.0
Asked a teacher for advice after class 85.3 84.7 86.1 82.7 87.0 87.1 88.1 86.3 85.6 87.7 82.3 81.0 84.4
Voted in a student election 68.0 65.2 71.1 65.0 65.4 65.6 70.9 62.4 70.9 72.2 69.1 67.4 72.2
Socialized with someone of another racial/ethnic
group 96.4 95.9 96.9 95.6 96.3 96.2 97.2 96.0 96.9 97.2 92.7 91.3 95.3
Came late to class* 6.8 6.4 7.3 6.6 6.1 6.4 5.5 6.0 7.4 6.7 7.9 8.6 6.8
Performed community service as a part of a class 56.1 55.8 56.5 53.6 58.3 56.9 65.3 56.4 55.6 59.6 59.8 56.7 65.5
Discussed religion 80.2 78.5 82.1 76.2 81.3 78.6 82.6 83.5 81.1 85.6 80.3 78.2 84.1
Discussed politics 82.1 79.8 84.7 78.8 81.0 81.4 82.1 80.0 84.0 87.3 72.1 67.7 79.8
Worked on a local, state, or national political
campaign 8.6 8.7 8.6 8.9 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.4 8.2 10.3 13.2 12.6 14.2
Skipped school/class* 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.2 1.9 2.0 1.4 2.1 2.2 1.8 3.0 3.2 2.5
Publicly communicated my opinion about a cause
(e.g., blog, email, petition) 44.8 43.2 46.5 41.4 45.4 47.0 44.4 44.1 46.0 48.7 53.8 51.2 58.7
Helped raise money for a cause or campaign 52.0 51.4 52.7 49.7 53.4 52.3 57.6 52.3 52.0 55.2 55.1 56.6 52.4
Fell asleep in class* 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.1 4.9 4.3 5.7 5.4 4.7 8.8 10.1 6.4
Failed to complete homework on time* 4.6 4.8 4.4 5.0 4.6 4.9 3.5 4.8 4.5 3.9 5.2 5.6 4.3
Used an online instructional website (e.g.,
Khan Academy, Coursera) as assigned for a class 56.0 55.9 56.2 57.2 54.3 54.7 54.9 53.6 56.0 56.9 63.0 62.8 63.4
Used an online instructional website (e.g.,
Khan Academy, Coursera) to learn something
on your own 83.1 83.9 82.2 86.5 80.8 82.6 76.0 81.4 82.1 82.4 93.1 93.6 92.1
*responses for “Frequently” only
Students rated as “A Major Strength” or
“Somewhat Strong” in the following areas:
Ability to see the world from someone else’s
perspective 76.7 73.4 80.3 72.6 74.4 76.4 76.8 71.2 80.1 80.9 71.4 67.2 79.0
Tolerance of others with different beliefs 80.6 77.3 84.2 77.1 77.5 79.8 80.2 73.8 84.0 84.7 71.4 66.9 79.5
Openness to having my own views challenged 63.7 62.1 65.4 62.0 62.2 64.1 63.8 59.4 65.0 66.7 67.1 65.0 71.0
Ability to discuss and negotiate controversial issues 70.8 68.4 73.4 68.8 68.0 70.5 69.6 64.5 73.0 74.9 70.8 67.0 77.6
Ability to work cooperatively with diverse people 85.8 84.6 87.1 85.1 84.1 85.0 86.6 81.9 86.9 87.8 83.4 80.4 89.0
Critical thinking skills 76.3 72.3 80.8 72.4 72.2 73.8 74.4 69.2 80.6 81.5 73.2 70.4 78.2
Ability to manage your time effectively 51.8 50.9 52.9 50.8 51.1 49.9 54.1 50.8 52.7 53.6 54.6 55.5 53.0
41
42

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
What is the highest level of formal education
obtained by Parent/Guardian 1?
Junior high/Middle school or less 4.6 5.9 3.0 8.1 3.4 3.0 4.2 3.3 3.1 2.6 4.2 5.2 2.4
Some high school 3.9 5.0 2.7 6.2 3.6 3.3 4.0 3.7 2.8 2.3 5.5 6.7 3.2
High school graduate 13.9 16.8 10.7 17.6 15.9 14.7 14.1 18.1 11.2 8.9 20.4 24.3 13.5
Postsecondary school other than college 2.8 3.1 2.5 2.9 3.3 3.6 2.9 3.3 2.6 2.1 3.2 3.2 3.2
Some college 13.4 15.4 11.3 16.2 14.5 13.4 13.8 15.9 11.6 10.2 23.1 24.2 21.2
College degree 32.1 30.1 34.2 28.4 32.2 32.0 33.4 31.9 34.5 33.0 24.9 22.9 28.7
Some graduate school 2.2 1.8 2.5 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.7 1.8 1.3 2.7
Graduate degree 27.1 21.7 33.1 18.9 25.0 27.8 25.6 21.8 31.8 38.2 16.8 12.2 25.1
What is the highest level of formal education
obtained by Parent/Guardian 2?
Junior high/Middle school or less 4.6 5.9 3.1 8.0 3.6 3.2 4.3 3.6 3.3 2.5 4.4 5.3 2.9
Some high school 4.2 5.4 2.9 6.8 3.8 3.4 4.9 3.8 2.9 2.5 9.0 10.9 5.8
High school graduate 15.3 18.4 12.0 19.4 17.2 16.4 16.2 18.6 12.5 10.0 27.4 31.5 20.4
Postsecondary school other than college 3.1 3.4 2.8 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.6 2.8 2.6 3.8 3.7 4.1
Some college 13.9 15.4 12.3 16.2 14.5 13.5 13.5 15.9 12.6 11.1 18.8 18.5 19.3
College degree 34.2 31.2 37.5 29.0 33.9 33.6 34.7 33.7 37.6 37.1 21.5 20.0 24.0
Some graduate school 2.4 2.0 2.9 1.7 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.8 3.2 1.6 1.1 2.4
Graduate degree 22.3 18.2 26.7 15.7 21.1 24.0 20.6 18.4 25.6 31.0 13.5 9.1 21.0
During the past year, did you “Frequently”:
Ask questions in class 53.5 51.4 55.7 49.6 53.6 55.7 56.9 49.8 54.3 61.0 59.2 57.3 62.8
Support your opinions with a logical argument 60.5 55.7 66.0 55.0 56.5 59.5 59.4 51.8 64.8 70.5 56.5 51.7 65.0
Seek solutions to problems and explain them to
others 56.0 51.5 61.1 51.0 52.2 54.4 55.8 48.0 60.0 64.9 53.2 49.1 60.5
Revise your papers to improve your writing 49.3 47.2 51.7 44.5 50.5 50.6 53.8 48.7 50.5 56.1 48.4 44.3 55.8
Evaluate the quality or reliability of information you
received 44.8 41.9 48.1 41.7 42.1 43.4 45.0 39.3 47.2 51.6 46.0 42.2 52.7
Take a risk because you feel you have more to gain 37.9 36.8 39.0 36.5 37.3 38.3 38.2 35.7 38.6 40.7 42.9 40.7 46.7
Seek alternative solutions to a problem 46.9 45.4 48.6 45.7 45.2 46.2 48.0 42.7 47.9 51.5 48.0 44.5 54.3
Look up scientific research articles and resources 29.3 26.7 32.2 26.7 26.7 28.3 28.5 24.0 31.9 33.4 26.3 24.1 30.2
Explore topics on your own, even though it is not
required for a class 40.5 37.5 43.8 37.6 37.5 40.2 37.0 34.8 43.2 46.3 38.8 35.0 45.6
Accept mistakes as part of the learning process 56.7 56.7 56.8 58.4 54.5 55.3 57.0 52.5 56.6 57.6 62.7 61.3 65.1
Seek feedback on your academic work 50.7 50.1 51.5 48.8 51.6 52.3 55.1 49.1 50.4 55.3 58.2 56.8 60.7
Your intended career occupation
Actor or Entertainer 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.7 1.5 1.3 0.6 2.1 1.0 0.9 1.2 0.7 2.0
Artist 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.9 1.3 2.2 0.4 0.9 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.5
Graphic Designer 0.9 1.1 0.6 1.0 1.3 1.2 0.7 1.6 0.6 0.5 1.0 1.3 0.5
Musician 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.4 1.5 0.6 1.6 1.1 1.7 2.0 2.2 1.6
Writer/Producer/Director 1.7 2.0 1.4 1.8 2.1 2.4 1.2 2.4 1.3 1.7 1.5 1.0 2.2
Farmer or Forester 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.1 1.1
Natural Resource Specialist/Environmentalist 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.9 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.3
Accountant 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.5 3.2 1.9 1.2 1.7 2.1 2.1 2.2
Administrative Assistant 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.6
Business Manager/Executive 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.3 3.4 3.5 4.0 3.0 2.8 4.3 2.6 2.2 3.2
Business Owner/Entrepreneur 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.0 3.1 3.3 3.0 2.9 2.3 3.3 4.3 4.1 4.7
Retail Sales 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.3 1.2
Sales/Marketing 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.2 2.4 2.2 3.9 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.6 1.2 2.1
Human Resources 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3
Finance (e.g., Actuary, Banking, Loan Officer, Planner) 2.4 1.6 3.2 1.0 2.3 2.4 3.8 1.4 2.7 5.0 1.1 0.6 1.8
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Your intended career occupation (continued)
Management Consultant 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.4
Real Estate Agent/Realtor/Appraiser/Developer 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3
Sports Management 1.1 1.3 0.9 0.7 2.1 2.2 1.3 2.5 0.8 1.3 2.1 2.5 1.5
Journalist 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.8 1.1 1.8 1.1 2.8
Public/Media Relations 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.0 1.5 3.0 2.6 3.6
Advertising 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3
College Administrator/Staff 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0
College Faculty 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3
Early Childcare Provider 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.4 1.1 1.1 1.0
Elementary School Teacher 2.0 2.6 1.3 2.5 2.7 1.7 2.4 4.0 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.9 1.1
Secondary School Teacher 1.9 2.3 1.5 1.9 2.6 2.1 1.9 3.6 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.1 0.9
Librarian 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.2
Teacher’s Assistant/Paraprofessional 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.0
K-12 Administrator 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1
Other K-12 Professional 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.4
Military 3.6 6.2 0.9 10.8 0.9 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.2 1.2 1.2
Federal/State/Local Government Official 1.6 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.7 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.8 2.1 2.5 1.5
Protective Services (e.g., Homeland Security,
Law Enforcement, Firefighter) 1.6 2.3 0.7 2.6 2.0 2.2 1.8 1.8 0.7 0.7 1.8 2.5 0.8
Postal Worker 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2
Dietician/Nutritionist 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.1
Home Health Worker 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.2
Medical/Dental Assistant (e.g., Hygienist, Lab Tech,
Nursing Asst.) 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.1 1.0 0.8 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.7 1.4 1.6 1.1
Registered Nurse 3.3 3.8 2.7 3.8 3.8 2.9 6.7 3.4 2.9 2.0 5.0 7.1 1.4
Therapist (e.g., Physical, Occupational, Speech) 3.7 4.4 3.0 3.9 5.0 4.0 4.7 6.1 3.0 3.2 5.2 6.4 3.3
Computer Programmer/Developer 2.7 2.1 3.3 2.7 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5 3.5 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.5
Computer/Systems Analyst 0.7 0.7 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.7
Web Designer 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3
Lawyer/Judge 3.3 3.1 3.6 2.8 3.4 3.9 3.6 2.7 3.3 5.0 5.0 4.8 5.4
Paralegal 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.4
Clinical Psychologist 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 2.1 1.7 2.1 2.4 1.7 1.6 2.4 2.3 2.6
Dentist/Orthodontist 1.3 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.1 0.8 1.5 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.8 1.7 1.9
Medical Doctor/Surgeon 10.3 7.0 13.8 6.3 8.0 7.6 11.1 6.8 13.7 14.1 10.1 6.7 15.7
Optometrist 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5
Pharmacist 1.2 1.1 1.4 0.8 1.5 2.2 1.2 0.8 1.4 1.3 2.6 2.0 3.7
Veterinarian 1.0 1.2 0.9 0.8 1.7 1.6 0.6 2.2 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.9 0.7
Engineer 8.2 6.0 10.6 8.4 3.1 2.9 4.4 2.7 11.5 6.8 3.6 2.7 5.1
Research Scientist (e.g., Biologist, Chemist, Physicist) 3.6 2.8 4.5 2.6 3.1 3.6 2.0 3.2 4.7 3.4 1.2 1.2 1.3
Urban Planner/Architect 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.1 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.4 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.5 1.3
Custodian/Janitor/Housekeeper 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1
Food Service (e.g., Chef/Cook Server) 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0
Hair Stylist/Aesthetician/Manicurist 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.0
Interior Designer 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Skilled Trades (e.g., Plumber, Electrician, Construction) 0.4 0.7 0.1 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.9 0.2
Social/Non-Profit Services 1.6 1.9 1.3 2.1 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.1 3.9 5.7 0.8
Clergy 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.5 1.1
Homemaker/Stay at Home Parent 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.6 1.1 0.5 0.7 1.1 1.4 0.6
Other 4.7 5.5 3.8 5.5 5.5 5.4 4.2 6.3 3.9 3.3 5.0 5.9 3.5
Undecided 11.3 10.5 12.2 9.4 11.8 13.4 11.0 10.6 12.2 12.5 4.0 3.6 4.5
43
44

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Parent/Guardian 1 occupation
Actor or Entertainer 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3
Artist 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.1
Graphic Designer 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.0
Musician 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Writer/Producer/Director 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.4
Farmer or Forester 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.3 1.0 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1
Natural Resource Specialist/Environmentalist 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1
Accountant 3.1 2.9 3.3 2.7 3.2 2.9 4.0 3.2 3.3 3.4 2.9 2.8 3.1
Administrative Assistant 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.6 1.3 2.2
Business Manager/Executive 6.7 5.7 7.7 4.9 6.6 6.8 7.3 6.1 7.3 9.1 3.8 3.2 4.7
Business Owner/Entrepreneur 5.4 4.9 5.9 4.2 5.8 6.3 6.4 4.8 5.6 7.3 3.2 2.5 4.1
Retail Sales 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.4
Sales/Marketing 4.2 3.9 4.5 3.4 4.4 4.5 5.0 4.1 4.6 4.2 2.1 1.6 2.8
Human Resources 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.7 1.5 2.2
Finance (e.g., Actuary, Banking, Loan Officer, Planner) 3.2 2.7 3.6 2.4 3.1 3.2 4.0 2.6 3.4 4.7 1.9 1.9 2.0
Management Consultant 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.7 0.8 0.6
Real Estate Agent/Realtor/Appraiser/Developer 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.3 1.5 0.6 0.3 1.2
Sports Management 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0
Journalist 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1
Public/Media Relations 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4
Advertising 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1
College Administrator/Staff 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.7 1.1
College Faculty 1.0 0.9 1.1 0.7 1.2 1.5 0.7 1.1 1.0 1.3 0.5 0.5 0.5
Early Childcare Provider 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.5 1.7 2.1 1.1
Elementary School Teacher 1.8 2.0 1.6 2.1 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.7 1.5 2.4 2.2 2.6
Secondary School Teacher 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.3 1.7 1.7 2.2 1.9 2.6
Librarian 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1
Teacher’s Assistant/Paraprofessional 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.9 1.0 0.9
K-12 Administrator 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.6 1.2 1.1 1.3
Other K-12 Professional 0.8 1.0 0.6 1.2 0.9 0.9 0.7 1.0 0.6 0.6 1.0 0.8 1.2
Military 1.9 2.6 1.0 3.9 1.2 1.1 0.7 1.6 1.1 0.8 1.9 1.9 2.0
Federal/State/Local Government Official 1.6 1.8 1.4 1.9 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.4 2.8 2.7 2.9
Protective Services (e.g., Homeland Security,
Law Enforcement, Firefighter) 2.0 2.5 1.6 2.7 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.0 1.6 1.5 2.8 2.7 2.9
Postal Worker 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.8
Dietician/Nutritionist 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.2
Home Health Worker 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.5 2.0 2.4 1.4
Medical/Dental Assistant (e.g., Hygienist, Lab Tech,
Nursing Asst.) 1.3 1.6 1.0 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.0 0.9 3.6 4.5 2.3
Registered Nurse 2.4 2.7 2.1 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.8 2.4 2.2 1.8 4.3 4.3 4.4
Therapist (e.g., Physical, Occupational, Speech) 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.3 1.0
Computer Programmer/Developer 1.9 1.3 2.4 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.5 2.5 2.1 1.0 0.8 1.2
Computer/Systems Analyst 2.0 1.7 2.3 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.8 2.4 2.0 1.7 1.2 2.4
Web Designer 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.4
Lawyer/Judge 2.6 2.0 3.3 1.7 2.4 2.9 2.9 1.7 2.9 4.7 1.0 0.6 1.6
Paralegal 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.7
Clinical Psychologist 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Dentist/Orthodontist 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.7
Medical Doctor/Surgeon 2.8 1.8 3.9 1.3 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.0 3.6 4.8 1.2 0.9 1.6
Optometrist 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.3
Pharmacist 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Parent/Guardian 1 occupation (continued)
Veterinarian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1
Engineer 6.2 4.7 7.8 4.6 4.7 4.4 4.7 5.1 8.2 6.2 2.0 1.6 2.6
Research Scientist (e.g., Biologist, Chemist, Physicist) 1.0 0.7 1.4 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.7 1.4 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.5
Urban Planner/Architect 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.3
Custodian/Janitor/Housekeeper 0.7 0.9 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.2 0.5
Food Service (e.g., Chef/Cook Server) 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.4 1.5 1.2
Hair Stylist/Aesthetician/Manicurist 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 1.4 1.7 1.1
Interior Designer 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0
Skilled Trades (e.g., Plumber, Electrician, Construction) 5.0 5.5 4.5 5.8 5.2 5.2 4.5 5.5 4.7 3.6 2.6 2.3 3.1
Social/Non-Profit Services 0.7 0.9 0.5 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.5 0.6 2.2 2.6 1.6
Clergy 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.4 1.2 0.5 0.7 1.0 0.8 1.2
Homemaker/Stay at Home Parent 4.1 4.4 3.8 4.8 4.0 3.9 4.2 3.9 3.7 3.9 3.7 4.2 2.9
Other 15.7 18.5 12.7 20.3 16.4 15.5 15.6 17.7 13.1 11.2 22.8 25.6 18.4
Undecided 0.7 0.9 0.6 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.4 1.6 1.7 1.4
Parent/Guardian 2 occupation
Actor or Entertainer 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3
Artist 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5
Graphic Designer 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4
Musician 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.5
Writer/Producer/Director 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1
Farmer or Forester 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1
Natural Resource Specialist/Environmentalist 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.4
Accountant 3.1 2.7 3.5 2.5 2.9 2.8 3.4 2.7 3.5 3.6 2.2 1.9 2.5
Administrative Assistant 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.0 0.9 1.1
Business Manager/Executive 3.6 3.3 3.9 3.0 3.6 3.9 4.0 3.0 3.7 4.7 2.7 2.3 3.1
Business Owner/Entrepreneur 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.1 3.8 4.3 3.6 3.3 3.6 4.4 3.5 2.8 4.5
Retail Sales 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.6
Sales/Marketing 3.2 2.9 3.4 2.7 3.2 3.0 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.3 1.9 1.8 2.0
Human Resources 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.1
Finance (e.g., Actuary, Banking, Loan Officer, Planner) 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.0 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.1 2.5 2.8 1.5 1.1 2.1
Management Consultant 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.9
Real Estate Agent/Realtor/Appraiser/Developer 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 0.7 0.6 0.9
Sports Management 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0
Journalist 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1
Public/Media Relations 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3
Advertising 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
College Administrator/Staff 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.6
College Faculty 0.9 0.8 1.0 0.5 1.1 1.3 0.7 1.2 1.0 1.2 0.4 0.3 0.5
Early Childcare Provider 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.0
Elementary School Teacher 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.2 4.2 3.4 2.9 1.5 1.6 1.3
Secondary School Teacher 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.1 2.2 1.3 1.1 1.7
Librarian 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.2
Teacher’s Assistant/Paraprofessional 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.6
K-12 Administrator 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.4
Other K-12 Professional 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.2 1.1
Military 1.0 1.3 0.7 1.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.5 2.6 2.7 2.4
Federal/State/Local Government Official 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.0 2.5 2.4 2.5
Protective Services (e.g., Homeland Security,
Law Enforcement, Firefighter) 1.1 1.4 0.8 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.1 0.8 0.7 2.3 2.1 2.5
Postal Worker 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.7 0.9 0.5
Dietician/Nutritionist 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2
45
46

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Parent/Guardian 2 occupation (continued)
Home Health Worker 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.6 0.5 1.2 1.4 1.0
Medical/Dental Assistant (e.g., Hygienist, Lab Tech,
Nursing Asst.) 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4
Registered Nurse 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.4 2.9 4.6 3.4 3.9 3.3 2.4 2.1 2.7
Therapist (e.g., Physical, Occupational, Speech) 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.6 1.3 0.8 0.7 0.9
Computer Programmer/Developer 1.0 0.8 1.2 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.6 0.8 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.1
Computer/Systems Analyst 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.8
Web Designer 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0
Lawyer/Judge 1.6 1.2 2.0 0.9 1.5 1.9 1.7 1.0 1.8 3.2 1.0 0.6 1.6
Paralegal 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.5
Clinical Psychologist 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Dentist/Orthodontist 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.5
Medical Doctor/Surgeon 1.8 1.2 2.3 0.9 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.3 2.2 2.8 0.7 0.5 1.0
Optometrist 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1
Pharmacist 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.7
Veterinarian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2
Engineer 3.0 2.5 3.5 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 3.7 2.9 2.8 2.7 3.0
Research Scientist (e.g., Biologist, Chemist, Physicist) 0.8 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.5 1.0 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.4
Urban Planner/Architect 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Custodian/Janitor/Housekeeper 0.8 1.0 0.6 1.1 0.8 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.2 1.3 1.2
Food Service (e.g., Chef/Cook Server) 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.1 1.5 1.1 1.5 1.3 1.6
Hair Stylist/Aesthetician/Manicurist 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.6 1.2 1.2 1.1
Interior Designer 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2
Skilled Trades (e.g., Plumber, Electrician, Construction) 3.4 4.0 2.8 4.1 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.9 2.9 2.6 5.6 5.7 5.6
Social/Non-Profit Services 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.7 1.4 1.2 1.5
Clergy 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.6
Homemaker/Stay at Home Parent 13.3 12.5 14.2 13.3 11.5 11.0 12.6 11.5 13.7 16.0 4.3 4.0 4.7
Other 17.7 20.5 14.7 21.6 19.3 18.4 18.6 20.7 15.0 13.6 29.6 33.1 24.6
Undecided 1.3 1.5 1.0 1.8 1.3 1.0 1.6 1.4 1.0 0.9 4.3 5.1 3.1
Current employment status:
Parent/Guardian 1
Employed 89.3 88.5 90.1 88.0 89.0 88.9 88.5 89.3 90.3 89.5 84.6 83.4 86.7
Unemployed 7.3 8.0 6.5 8.5 7.4 7.4 8.0 7.2 6.4 6.9 11.6 12.8 9.5
Retired 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.8
Parent/Guardian 2
Employed 75.7 76.0 75.4 74.9 77.2 77.4 74.6 78.3 76.2 72.2 75.0 73.5 77.4
Unemployed 19.4 19.7 19.1 21.2 17.9 17.6 19.7 17.3 18.6 20.8 20.5 21.8 18.3
Retired 4.9 4.4 5.5 3.9 4.9 5.0 5.7 4.4 5.2 7.1 4.5 4.7 4.3
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Race/Ethnicity—mark all that apply
(total may add to more than 100%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 2.8 3.5 1.9 4.3 2.7 2.5 2.0 3.3 2.0 1.6 5.0 5.3 4.4
East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
Taiwanese) 7.4 5.0 10.0 5.4 4.5 6.1 3.6 3.3 9.9 10.5 0.7 0.7 0.7
Southeast Asian (e.g., Cambodian, Vietnamese,
Hmong, Filipino) 4.1 4.2 4.0 5.7 2.5 2.3 3.9 1.8 4.2 3.3 1.0 0.5 2.0
South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese,
Sri Lankan) 2.6 1.3 4.1 1.0 1.5 2.1 1.6 0.9 3.9 4.8 0.7 0.5 1.1
Other Asian 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.3
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.4 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.3
African American/Black 11.6 15.0 7.9 14.9 15.1 13.8 13.9 17.0 6.6 12.7 94.7 94.6 94.9
Mexican American/Chicano 8.3 10.7 5.6 15.4 5.0 3.3 8.1 5.3 5.8 4.6 1.2 1.7 0.5
Puerto Rican 1.9 2.3 1.4 2.2 2.5 3.2 3.1 1.5 1.2 1.9 2.0 2.2 1.7
Other Latino 6.3 7.0 5.4 8.6 5.2 5.8 6.8 3.8 5.0 6.8 2.4 2.2 2.8
White/Caucasian 68.2 65.2 71.7 59.4 72.1 72.0 68.0 74.2 73.2 65.8 6.3 7.1 4.7
Other 2.9 3.2 2.6 3.5 2.8 3.0 3.4 2.4 2.5 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.8
Students “Agree Strongly” or “Agree Somewhat”:
Racial discrimination is no longer a major problem
in America 18.6 19.5 17.5 20.2 18.6 17.4 19.4 19.5 18.0 15.9 10.5 12.3 7.3
Abortion should be legal 63.6 58.5 69.3 58.6 58.4 68.3 55.7 49.4 70.2 66.0 52.8 48.0 61.3
Colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers
from campus 43.2 43.8 42.5 44.4 43.2 41.8 44.0 44.2 42.0 44.1 33.6 32.1 36.1
Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about
changes in our society 26.3 29.1 23.1 30.3 27.6 27.2 26.3 28.7 23.3 22.5 36.5 41.2 28.2
Marijuana should be legalized 56.4 52.8 60.5 51.3 54.6 60.9 51.6 49.4 61.3 57.9 64.2 62.5 67.2
Dissent is a critical component of the political process 63.9 59.6 68.8 59.1 60.3 62.0 62.1 57.5 68.1 71.2 54.8 52.3 59.1
Colleges should prohibit racist/sexist speech
on campus 70.9 70.5 71.2 70.2 71.0 72.0 71.4 69.7 70.7 73.1 61.1 58.9 65.2
Women should receive the same salary and
opportunities for advancement as men in
comparable positions 95.4 94.5 96.4 94.7 94.3 94.7 95.1 93.4 96.4 96.5 89.0 87.0 92.6
The United States should intervene in the wars of
other countries 28.6 28.9 28.2 30.5 27.1 25.3 28.3 28.3 27.9 29.4 22.9 24.2 20.5
Same-sex couples should have the right to legal
marital status 81.1 77.3 85.5 77.6 76.8 83.9 82.4 66.6 86.0 83.6 66.7 62.6 73.9
Students from disadvantaged social backgrounds
should be given preferential treatment in
college admissions 52.3 54.2 50.2 53.8 54.6 56.6 52.1 53.9 50.0 51.0 64.7 62.9 68.0
How would you characterize your political views?
Far left 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.5 4.3 5.7 3.0 3.4 3.9 4.1 6.5 6.9 5.9
Liberal 29.6 25.9 33.7 25.0 27.0 32.1 25.4 22.6 33.5 34.6 28.8 23.3 38.2
Middle-of-the-road 44.9 46.3 43.4 47.1 45.3 43.5 47.8 46.0 44.0 40.9 47.6 50.1 43.4
Conservative 19.8 21.6 17.8 21.9 21.2 16.8 21.9 25.5 17.4 19.1 13.9 15.8 10.6
Far right 1.8 2.3 1.2 2.4 2.1 1.8 1.9 2.5 1.2 1.3 3.1 3.8 2.0
47
48

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
The following reasons were “Very Important” in
deciding to go to college:
To be able to get a better job 85.2 85.0 85.4 85.3 84.7 83.0 89.9 83.7 85.5 85.0 91.2 91.5 90.6
To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas 71.5 71.2 71.7 69.2 73.6 75.1 77.0 70.3 70.6 76.0 81.3 81.5 81.1
To make me a more cultured person 48.8 47.2 50.5 44.2 50.8 52.6 53.0 47.9 48.9 56.8 62.0 57.9 69.4
To be able to make more money 69.9 70.3 69.4 70.3 70.3 69.4 75.3 68.8 70.2 66.6 87.6 88.9 85.3
To learn more about things that interest me 82.4 81.1 84.0 79.6 82.8 84.0 83.5 81.3 83.8 84.8 83.9 83.0 85.5
To get training for a specific career 76.1 78.1 73.8 80.0 75.7 72.3 79.1 77.6 74.7 70.3 86.8 87.4 85.7
To prepare myself for graduate or professional school 58.8 57.5 60.1 56.1 59.2 59.2 64.9 56.2 59.9 60.9 78.8 79.1 78.2
During your last year in high school, how much
time did you spend during a typical week doing
the following activities?
Studying/homework
None 1.6 1.8 1.3 1.9 1.7 1.5 1.4 2.1 1.4 1.0 3.6 4.5 2.0
Less than one hour 7.8 9.3 6.0 10.0 8.5 7.9 6.8 9.9 6.5 4.5 12.9 15.3 8.5
1 to 2 hours 18.7 21.8 14.9 23.4 19.9 18.7 17.6 22.5 15.7 12.1 30.7 35.5 22.2
3 to 5 hours 27.1 28.3 25.7 29.0 27.4 27.0 27.1 28.1 26.6 22.6 27.5 26.6 29.1
6 to 10 hours 21.5 19.6 23.7 18.5 21.0 21.9 22.9 19.2 23.7 23.8 14.6 11.1 20.7
11 to 15 hours 11.6 9.7 13.9 8.6 11.0 11.5 12.6 9.7 13.2 16.5 5.2 3.4 8.4
16 to 20 hours 6.5 5.3 7.9 4.8 5.8 6.4 6.7 4.7 7.2 10.5 2.6 1.5 4.4
Over 20 hours 5.2 4.2 6.4 3.9 4.6 5.2 5.0 3.8 5.7 9.0 3.1 2.1 4.7
Socializing with friends
None 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.5 1.3 1.6 0.9
Less than one hour 2.3 2.7 1.9 3.0 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.7 1.9 1.8 3.8 4.4 2.8
1 to 2 hours 10.5 11.6 9.3 12.3 10.7 9.9 10.2 11.7 9.5 8.5 13.6 14.1 12.7
3 to 5 hours 26.4 26.5 26.2 27.4 25.5 25.4 24.6 26.1 26.6 25.1 27.8 27.8 27.9
6 to 10 hours 27.8 26.3 29.6 25.6 27.0 26.9 27.4 26.8 29.7 29.4 21.7 19.9 24.7
11 to 15 hours 15.1 14.3 16.1 13.1 15.6 16.2 17.0 14.2 15.9 16.9 10.9 10.2 12.2
16 to 20 hours 7.6 7.4 7.8 7.1 7.8 8.3 8.0 7.1 7.6 8.6 5.7 5.6 5.9
Over 20 hours 9.6 10.5 8.5 10.6 10.4 10.4 9.7 10.7 8.4 9.1 15.1 16.3 12.9
Talking with teachers outside of class
None 9.1 9.9 8.1 10.9 8.7 8.1 7.5 9.9 8.7 6.3 12.2 13.7 9.6
Less than one hour 37.8 38.0 37.5 40.1 35.6 35.5 34.6 36.2 38.2 35.2 32.8 35.2 28.8
1 to 2 hours 34.7 33.2 36.4 31.5 35.3 35.7 36.6 34.2 36.1 37.8 29.4 27.8 32.2
3 to 5 hours 13.0 13.0 13.0 12.2 14.1 14.5 14.8 13.4 12.4 14.8 15.8 14.3 18.4
6 to 10 hours 3.5 3.7 3.3 3.3 4.1 4.1 4.0 4.2 3.1 3.9 5.3 4.8 6.1
11 to 15 hours 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.4 1.1 0.9 1.1 2.0 1.9 2.1
16 to 20 hours 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.5 1.1 0.8 1.6
Over 20 hours 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.4 1.4 1.5 1.2
Exercise or sports
None 5.9 6.8 4.9 7.5 6.0 5.9 5.4 6.4 5.0 4.6 11.1 11.7 9.9
Less than one hour 8.9 9.1 8.7 9.8 8.3 8.7 7.6 8.1 8.9 8.0 11.9 12.3 11.4
1 to 2 hours 14.9 14.8 15.1 15.1 14.3 14.9 15.0 13.4 15.1 15.0 19.5 19.9 18.8
3 to 5 hours 18.7 17.3 20.4 17.2 17.5 18.2 17.5 16.7 20.5 20.0 19.4 19.3 19.5
6 to 10 hours 19.6 18.0 21.4 18.4 17.6 17.7 19.6 16.5 21.6 20.9 13.8 12.9 15.4
11 to 15 hours 14.6 14.6 14.6 14.4 14.8 14.9 14.8 14.8 14.5 14.8 7.9 7.2 9.2
16 to 20 hours 7.9 8.4 7.2 7.8 9.0 8.7 8.8 9.4 7.0 8.2 5.7 5.3 6.3
Over 20 hours 9.5 11.0 7.7 9.7 12.5 11.0 11.3 14.7 7.4 8.5 10.7 11.4 9.6
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
During your last year in high school, how much
time did you spend during a typical week doing
the following activities?
Partying
None 43.7 45.9 41.2 48.7 42.5 38.8 37.9 48.6 42.4 37.2 31.1 30.6 32.1
Less than one hour 16.6 15.8 17.5 15.9 15.8 16.4 15.3 15.4 17.7 16.6 15.4 15.1 16.0
1 to 2 hours 16.6 16.0 17.4 15.3 16.8 17.4 18.1 15.5 17.0 18.6 23.1 23.6 22.1
3 to 5 hours 13.9 13.2 14.8 12.0 14.6 15.8 17.2 11.9 14.2 16.8 18.8 18.9 18.8
6 to 10 hours 5.8 5.5 6.2 4.8 6.3 7.1 7.6 4.9 5.9 7.2 6.3 6.1 6.7
11 to 15 hours 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.2 1.8 1.5 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.2
16 to 20 hours 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.7 1.1 1.2 0.8
Over 20 hours 0.8 1.0 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.7 1.7 2.0 1.2
Working (for pay)
None 44.0 44.0 44.1 47.6 39.7 41.1 40.6 37.8 42.9 48.4 40.1 38.6 42.7
Less than one hour 3.4 3.2 3.5 2.8 3.6 4.0 3.1 3.6 3.4 4.2 3.0 3.0 3.0
1 to 2 hours 5.2 5.0 5.4 4.6 5.5 5.5 5.3 5.7 5.2 6.1 4.7 4.9 4.4
3 to 5 hours 8.6 8.4 8.9 7.5 9.4 9.2 9.4 9.7 8.7 9.5 8.5 9.0 7.7
6 to 10 hours 11.5 11.2 11.7 10.2 12.5 12.0 13.5 12.5 11.8 11.3 11.5 11.6 11.2
11 to 15 hours 9.4 8.7 10.2 7.9 9.6 9.6 10.1 9.3 10.9 7.8 7.2 6.8 7.8
16 to 20 hours 8.3 8.5 8.0 8.3 8.7 8.2 8.6 9.4 8.5 6.6 7.9 7.7 8.2
Over 20 hours 9.7 11.0 8.1 11.1 10.8 10.4 9.4 12.0 8.7 6.2 17.1 18.4 14.8
Volunteer work
None 25.6 28.4 22.2 30.4 26.0 27.4 21.3 27.1 23.1 19.2 29.9 34.1 22.6
Less than one hour 19.2 18.5 20.0 18.0 19.1 19.3 18.1 19.4 20.4 18.6 14.7 14.5 15.1
1 to 2 hours 26.7 25.2 28.6 24.9 25.5 24.6 28.3 24.9 28.5 28.9 21.8 21.3 22.5
3 to 5 hours 16.4 15.4 17.5 14.8 16.1 15.9 17.8 15.5 16.9 19.7 16.4 15.1 18.8
6 to 10 hours 6.4 6.3 6.6 5.8 6.9 6.6 7.6 6.8 6.3 7.7 8.3 7.4 9.8
11 to 15 hours 2.4 2.6 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.9 2.6 2.2 2.6 3.2 2.6 4.2
16 to 20 hours 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.9 1.5 2.6
Over 20 hours 2.1 2.4 1.7 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.6 2.5 1.7 2.0 3.9 3.5 4.4
Student clubs/groups
None 25.2 29.7 19.9 31.7 27.2 27.5 22.0 29.6 21.0 16.3 30.9 35.7 22.6
Less than one hour 13.5 13.9 13.0 14.5 13.1 12.9 13.4 13.1 13.3 11.9 11.0 11.8 9.7
1 to 2 hours 26.1 24.5 27.9 23.6 25.6 25.4 28.0 24.6 27.7 28.5 21.8 21.4 22.7
3 to 5 hours 19.1 17.1 21.5 16.0 18.4 19.0 20.0 17.0 20.9 23.5 17.7 14.8 22.8
6 to 10 hours 8.5 7.7 9.6 7.2 8.2 8.1 9.0 7.9 9.2 10.9 9.2 8.1 11.1
11 to 15 hours 3.6 3.3 4.0 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.9 4.4 4.1 3.9 4.4
16 to 20 hours 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.5 2.8
Over 20 hours 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.3 2.4 3.3 2.9 3.9
Watching TV
None 12.8 12.0 13.7 12.5 11.4 12.7 10.4 10.7 13.6 14.2 13.1 12.3 14.6
Less than one hour 18.8 19.2 18.4 19.9 18.3 18.3 18.4 18.2 18.6 17.5 19.7 19.8 19.6
1 to 2 hours 25.0 25.1 24.8 25.2 25.1 24.7 26.1 24.9 25.0 24.3 23.4 23.5 23.2
3 to 5 hours 24.1 23.9 24.2 23.4 24.5 24.3 24.9 24.6 24.2 24.3 20.5 20.2 20.9
6 to 10 hours 12.0 11.9 12.0 11.4 12.5 12.3 12.5 12.8 11.9 12.4 10.7 10.8 10.5
11 to 15 hours 4.0 4.1 3.9 3.7 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.6 3.8 4.0 4.7 4.9 4.5
16 to 20 hours 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.9 1.5 1.5 2.9 2.9 2.7
Over 20 hours 1.8 2.1 1.5 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.3 1.4 1.7 4.9 5.5 4.1
49
50

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
During your last year in high school, how much
time did you spend during a typical week doing
the following activities?
Household/childcare duties
None 22.5 22.5 22.5 21.9 23.2 25.5 19.4 22.8 22.2 23.9 22.2 23.6 19.8
Less than one hour 21.3 19.8 23.0 19.3 20.4 21.2 19.7 20.0 23.3 22.0 17.2 17.6 16.7
1 to 2 hours 30.3 29.7 31.0 30.2 29.0 28.3 31.2 28.7 31.2 30.5 26.4 25.3 28.4
3 to 5 hours 16.8 17.5 16.0 17.7 17.3 16.1 18.8 17.6 16.1 15.7 17.9 17.1 19.4
6 to 10 hours 5.5 6.1 4.8 6.3 5.9 5.3 6.2 6.5 4.7 5.0 8.1 8.2 8.1
11 to 15 hours 1.8 2.2 1.3 2.2 2.2 1.8 2.3 2.5 1.4 1.3 3.2 3.2 3.1
16 to 20 hours 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.6 1.4 1.3 1.6
Over 20 hours 1.1 1.4 0.8 1.5 1.2 1.0 1.6 1.2 0.8 0.9 3.4 3.7 2.9
Reading for pleasure
None 32.6 35.2 29.6 36.1 34.1 33.1 32.8 35.7 30.2 27.2 36.8 40.7 30.1
Less than one hour 25.6 24.4 27.0 24.7 24.0 24.1 25.7 23.0 27.0 26.9 24.0 24.4 23.4
1 to 2 hours 21.7 20.6 23.0 20.7 20.6 21.1 21.6 19.6 22.9 23.6 18.9 17.5 21.3
3 to 5 hours 11.9 11.4 12.4 10.8 12.2 12.5 11.8 11.9 12.1 13.5 10.4 8.6 13.4
6 to 10 hours 5.0 5.1 4.9 4.8 5.4 5.4 4.7 5.7 4.8 5.2 5.2 4.7 6.2
11 to 15 hours 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.5 1.9 1.9 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.9 1.8 1.4 2.4
16 to 20 hours 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.6 0.7 1.1 0.9 1.4
Over 20 hours 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.2 0.7 1.0 1.8 1.7 1.9
Playing video/computer games
None 45.6 45.6 45.5 46.2 45.0 45.8 49.1 42.2 44.4 49.4 44.3 42.2 48.0
Less than one hour 15.9 15.9 15.8 15.8 16.0 15.7 15.8 16.4 16.0 15.3 16.7 17.7 15.0
1 to 2 hours 13.8 14.1 13.4 13.8 14.5 14.1 13.9 15.1 13.6 13.1 15.4 15.9 14.6
3 to 5 hours 11.6 11.3 12.0 10.9 11.7 11.6 10.9 12.2 12.3 10.9 11.3 11.3 11.3
6 to 10 hours 6.7 6.5 6.9 6.5 6.5 6.8 5.1 7.0 7.2 6.0 5.8 5.9 5.7
11 to 15 hours 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.5 3.4 3.2 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.1
16 to 20 hours 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.1
Over 20 hours 2.1 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.0 1.8 1.6 2.4 2.1 1.6 2.9 3.3 2.1
Online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
None 6.1 6.2 6.0 6.9 5.4 5.4 5.3 5.4 6.3 5.2 5.9 5.8 6.1
Less than one hour 15.5 15.5 15.5 16.3 14.5 14.7 14.3 14.4 15.8 14.7 15.1 15.7 14.1
1 to 2 hours 26.5 25.6 27.6 25.2 26.2 26.3 25.0 26.7 27.7 27.0 20.1 20.9 18.6
3 to 5 hours 25.6 24.6 26.8 23.9 25.6 25.6 26.7 24.9 26.6 27.4 20.5 19.3 22.7
6 to 10 hours 13.3 13.5 13.0 13.2 13.9 13.6 14.3 14.1 12.8 13.8 12.6 11.7 14.0
11 to 15 hours 5.5 5.7 5.1 5.6 5.9 6.0 5.9 5.7 5.1 5.3 7.7 7.3 8.5
16 to 20 hours 2.8 3.1 2.5 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.0 2.4 2.8 4.6 4.5 4.8
Over 20 hours 4.7 5.7 3.5 6.0 5.4 5.0 5.2 5.9 3.4 3.8 13.5 14.7 11.2
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
The following reasons were “Very Important” in
deciding to go to this particular college:
My parents/relatives wanted me to come here 17.6 18.8 16.2 19.8 17.5 15.8 21.2 17.5 16.0 16.9 23.2 22.7 24.0
My teacher advised me 7.4 8.3 6.3 8.9 7.6 7.6 8.2 7.3 6.1 6.8 12.6 13.6 10.8
This college has a very good academic reputation 69.7 65.9 74.2 64.5 67.6 68.7 73.4 63.4 73.2 77.5 62.6 55.5 75.1
This college has a good reputation for its social
activities 44.8 42.3 47.7 41.0 43.8 44.0 46.1 42.5 48.0 46.7 57.9 55.7 61.8
I was offered financial assistance 47.1 53.5 39.6 44.2 64.5 61.8 64.2 67.5 36.0 52.3 53.8 55.1 51.6
The cost of attending this college 45.2 48.4 41.6 55.6 39.6 37.2 44.2 39.8 43.9 33.2 48.1 54.1 37.3
High school counselor advised me 10.1 11.3 8.8 11.4 11.1 11.6 13.4 9.5 8.4 10.4 16.6 18.6 13.0
Private college counselor advised me 4.6 5.3 3.8 3.8 7.1 6.9 7.4 7.0 3.1 6.0 8.7 9.4 7.6
I wanted to live near home 18.3 20.9 15.4 22.2 19.3 16.6 24.2 19.5 15.8 13.8 21.1 25.1 14.0
Not offered aid by first choice 10.0 10.3 9.7 9.6 11.1 10.6 13.5 10.3 10.0 8.9 16.8 18.1 14.4
Could not afford first choice 13.0 13.6 12.3 14.7 12.3 11.6 14.8 11.7 13.2 9.5 19.4 21.2 16.0
This college’s graduates gain admission to top
graduate/professional schools 37.6 34.8 41.0 33.4 36.4 36.4 43.7 32.7 39.8 45.4 41.7 34.3 54.7
This college’s graduates get good jobs 60.1 58.7 61.8 57.4 60.2 59.2 69.4 56.4 60.0 68.1 59.0 52.4 70.6
I was attracted by the religious affiliation/orientation
of this college 8.1 10.0 5.9 5.0 16.0 6.4 20.4 23.8 3.0 16.2 15.7 16.3 14.7
I wanted to go to a school about the size of this
college 37.5 39.3 35.5 28.2 52.5 50.5 55.1 53.3 32.7 45.3 36.0 36.4 35.4
Rankings in national magazines 20.1 14.9 26.1 13.9 16.2 16.9 21.5 12.8 25.4 28.9 18.4 15.0 24.5
I was admitted through an Early Action or
Early Decision program 16.3 13.1 20.0 8.5 18.7 21.9 22.8 13.3 18.5 25.3 15.2 13.2 18.7
The athletic department recruited me 10.4 15.2 4.7 10.2 21.1 18.2 13.3 28.1 3.9 7.5 12.4 14.6 8.3
A visit to this campus 42.8 44.9 40.3 37.5 53.9 54.9 51.8 53.8 37.4 50.4 45.5 44.8 46.8
The percentage of students that graduate from
this college 30.9 33.1 28.2 28.6 38.5 37.2 45.7 36.1 26.5 34.3 41.6 40.2 44.2
Students rated as “Highest 10%” or “Above
Average” as compared with the average person
their age:
Academic ability 73.5 66.1 81.9 65.5 66.8 67.7 68.5 65.0 81.6 82.9 63.7 60.3 69.8
Artistic ability 28.2 27.9 28.6 26.8 29.2 31.1 26.0 29.0 28.1 30.4 30.8 28.5 34.9
Competitiveness 60.3 60.1 60.6 60.8 59.3 58.1 59.3 60.5 60.2 61.8 62.6 62.3 63.0
Computer skills 32.6 31.1 34.2 32.0 30.0 30.6 31.5 28.7 34.6 32.8 41.1 40.4 42.4
Cooperativeness 71.9 71.1 72.7 71.1 71.2 70.8 74.2 70.0 72.3 74.1 73.3 70.9 77.5
Creativity 54.6 54.0 55.2 52.4 55.9 58.2 53.9 54.4 54.6 57.7 60.8 58.4 65.1
Drive to achieve 79.2 77.8 80.8 77.8 77.8 77.4 80.9 76.6 80.2 83.0 83.4 81.5 86.6
Emotional health 50.6 49.3 52.0 49.9 48.6 48.0 51.9 47.6 51.7 53.2 54.8 53.7 56.7
Leadership ability 64.6 63.3 66.2 63.1 63.5 62.8 65.4 63.3 65.5 68.8 68.7 66.5 72.4
Mathematical ability 49.0 42.5 56.4 44.4 40.2 40.2 41.9 39.5 56.7 55.3 38.5 38.0 39.3
Physical health 55.2 54.4 56.2 53.4 55.5 55.0 56.7 55.4 55.9 57.2 52.4 51.9 53.2
Public speaking ability 40.5 38.3 43.0 38.3 38.3 38.9 39.2 37.3 41.8 47.5 42.2 38.9 48.0
Risk-taking 43.4 43.4 43.5 44.2 42.5 43.5 42.5 41.4 43.1 45.0 52.1 49.9 55.9
Self-confidence (intellectual) 60.3 57.2 63.9 57.6 56.6 57.5 56.3 55.9 63.4 65.7 69.5 68.3 71.7
Self-confidence (social) 46.6 46.8 46.4 47.8 45.5 45.4 47.2 44.9 45.9 48.4 62.1 62.4 61.6
Self-understanding 57.4 56.4 58.6 56.3 56.5 57.9 57.4 54.7 57.9 61.5 68.8 67.9 70.2
Spirituality 37.2 39.1 35.1 39.0 39.1 34.8 40.4 43.1 34.0 39.2 56.1 55.6 56.8
Understanding of others 70.8 69.3 72.5 68.5 70.4 71.3 73.2 68.0 71.9 74.4 69.9 67.3 74.6
Writing ability 47.9 44.5 51.7 44.1 45.0 46.7 46.1 42.8 50.4 56.7 47.7 44.4 53.6
51
52

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Military Status:
None 92.7 87.4 99.0 77.6 99.0 99.2 98.7 98.9 99.0 99.0 97.4 97.5 97.0
ROTC, cadet, or midshipman at a service academy 6.9 12.0 0.8 21.4 0.8 0.6 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.9 2.2 2.0 2.5
In Active Duty, Reserves, or National Guard 0.4 0.6 0.1 0.9 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3
A discharged veteran NOT serving in Active Duty,
Reserves, or National Guard 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2
How would you describe the racial composition of
the high school you last attended?
Completely White 6.3 5.8 6.9 4.8 7.0 7.1 6.9 7.0 6.7 7.2 2.1 1.5 3.2
Mostly White 47.2 44.9 49.9 39.7 51.2 51.4 51.2 51.0 49.5 51.2 22.0 18.3 28.6
Roughly half non-White 24.5 24.7 24.4 25.0 24.4 23.9 21.1 26.6 24.9 22.4 27.6 30.2 22.9
Mostly non-White 17.2 18.8 15.3 23.2 13.5 13.2 16.1 12.5 15.6 14.3 33.9 36.0 30.2
Completely non-White 4.8 5.8 3.6 7.3 4.0 4.5 4.8 3.0 3.2 4.9 14.4 14.0 15.1
How would you describe the racial composition of
the neighborhood where you grew up?
Completely White 15.7 15.0 16.6 12.6 17.7 17.7 17.8 17.7 16.8 15.8 3.6 3.1 4.5
Mostly White 47.9 44.9 51.5 41.0 49.4 49.3 46.1 51.3 52.1 49.5 18.4 16.7 21.3
Roughly half non-White 14.5 15.0 13.9 15.9 14.0 13.8 13.7 14.4 13.9 14.2 19.4 20.7 17.2
Mostly non-White 14.6 16.3 12.6 19.8 12.1 11.9 14.9 10.9 12.5 13.1 34.2 34.4 33.8
Completely non-White 7.3 8.9 5.3 10.7 6.7 7.3 7.5 5.7 4.7 7.4 24.3 25.0 23.2
How many years do you expect it will take you to
graduate from this college?
1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.1
2 0.9 1.2 0.4 2.0 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.9 1.0 0.6
3 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.2 3.0 2.4 1.5 4.3 3.1 2.0 3.5 3.2 4.0
4 85.5 86.2 84.7 84.1 88.7 88.8 88.5 88.8 84.8 84.5 86.7 88.2 84.1
5 7.8 7.0 8.8 9.2 4.3 3.9 6.4 3.5 8.4 10.1 5.1 4.3 6.3
6 or more 2.1 1.7 2.5 1.2 2.4 3.6 2.5 1.1 2.5 2.7 2.4 1.5 4.0
Do not plan to graduate from this college 1.0 1.2 0.6 1.3 1.2 0.9 0.8 1.7 0.7 0.4 1.3 1.5 0.9
What is your sexual orientation?
Heterosexual/Straight 93.2 93.0 93.5 93.5 92.4 90.5 95.0 93.0 93.4 93.7 92.5 92.2 93.1
Gay 1.1 0.9 1.3 0.8 1.0 1.4 0.7 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.2
Lesbian 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.4 1.3 1.7 0.6
Bisexual 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.1 3.5 4.4 2.3 3.3 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.3
Queer 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.6
Other 1.4 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.7 2.1 1.1 1.6 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.1
Do you identify as transgender?
Yes 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
No 99.7 99.6 99.7 99.7 99.6 99.5 99.8 99.6 99.7 99.8 99.8 99.8 99.8
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Objectives considered to be “Essential” or
“Very Important”:
Becoming accomplished in one of the performing arts
(acting, dancing, etc.) 15.8 16.6 14.7 15.4 18.1 17.7 14.9 20.2 14.2 16.5 30.5 32.2 27.5
Becoming an authority in my field 59.7 60.3 59.0 61.2 59.2 60.3 62.6 56.3 57.8 63.1 71.3 68.9 75.4
Obtaining recognition from my colleagues for
contributions to my special field 57.3 56.5 58.4 55.5 57.6 58.8 62.1 53.8 57.7 60.6 66.9 65.0 70.1
Influencing the political structure 22.3 23.3 21.2 23.6 22.9 23.7 23.2 21.9 20.3 24.2 38.2 37.7 39.1
Influencing social values 43.9 45.0 42.6 43.3 47.0 47.0 48.9 46.0 41.1 47.7 59.6 57.2 63.9
Raising a family 71.5 72.1 70.8 70.7 73.8 70.3 79.3 74.6 70.0 73.6 75.7 74.1 78.5
Being very well off financially 81.9 81.8 82.0 82.8 80.6 80.3 87.7 77.3 82.3 81.1 89.8 88.2 92.6
Helping others who are in difficulty 74.6 74.5 74.7 73.5 75.6 74.3 79.9 74.8 73.6 78.2 78.0 74.7 83.6
Making a theoretical contribution to science 25.7 22.5 29.6 21.4 23.8 24.6 25.4 22.1 30.4 27.1 32.9 31.8 34.8
Writing original works (poems, novels, etc.) 15.5 16.0 15.0 14.7 17.5 18.4 15.4 17.7 14.4 17.2 28.3 28.8 27.5
Creating artistic works (painting, sculpture, etc.) 15.4 16.6 13.9 15.4 18.0 19.6 14.9 18.0 13.6 14.8 28.1 29.5 25.6
Becoming successful in a business of my own 39.6 40.9 38.0 39.1 43.0 43.1 45.9 41.4 36.8 42.0 65.0 65.1 65.0
Becoming involved in programs to clean up
the environment 28.8 28.3 29.4 27.5 29.2 31.3 29.7 26.8 29.6 28.7 43.5 43.7 43.2
Developing a meaningful philosophy of life 46.5 44.4 49.0 42.9 46.1 47.4 46.0 44.7 47.6 53.6 57.2 56.6 58.3
Participating in a community action program 31.3 30.2 32.5 28.1 32.7 32.5 36.7 30.7 30.8 38.0 52.4 50.5 55.6
Helping to promote racial understanding 41.2 40.5 41.9 39.7 41.6 43.3 43.6 38.7 40.5 46.5 63.1 57.8 72.3
Keeping up to date with political affairs 40.4 38.4 42.8 38.6 38.2 40.0 40.9 35.0 41.3 47.6 44.9 41.4 51.0
Becoming a community leader 39.8 39.6 40.1 39.7 39.4 39.1 42.8 37.9 38.5 45.6 55.3 53.5 58.2
Improving my understanding of other countries
and cultures 59.1 56.4 62.5 55.5 57.4 60.0 60.2 53.1 60.9 67.6 61.2 55.8 70.7
53
54

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
Students estimate “Very Good Chance” that
they will:
Change major field 12.8 11.3 14.6 11.3 11.2 12.2 11.6 10.0 15.0 13.3 10.1 9.8 10.8
Change career choice 12.9 11.2 15.0 10.2 12.4 13.7 12.3 11.1 15.0 14.8 8.2 7.6 9.2
Participate in student government 7.5 7.8 7.0 8.1 7.4 7.5 8.4 6.8 6.5 8.6 15.5 15.9 14.7
Get a job to help pay for college expenses 46.3 45.3 47.5 42.0 49.1 48.1 50.0 49.8 48.4 44.8 48.4 49.5 46.6
Work full-time while attending college 7.0 7.9 5.8 9.3 6.4 6.1 7.3 6.2 6.1 4.7 13.9 15.1 11.8
Join a social fraternity or sorority 11.0 9.5 12.8 8.6 10.4 10.3 10.8 10.4 13.1 11.6 28.6 29.3 27.4
Play club, intramural, or recreational sports 31.9 31.1 32.8 32.0 30.1 29.6 33.4 28.9 32.6 33.5 24.1 25.4 22.0
Play intercollegiate athletics (e.g., NCAA or
NAIA-sponsored) 14.8 21.4 6.7 16.8 26.9 24.7 17.4 34.3 5.6 10.3 19.7 21.9 15.9
Make at least a “B” average 67.6 64.1 71.8 59.6 69.4 70.0 73.8 66.5 70.6 75.7 68.7 65.1 74.9
Participate in student protests or demonstrations 8.5 8.1 9.1 7.0 9.3 11.0 9.2 7.5 8.6 10.7 21.0 17.3 27.4
Transfer to another college before graduating 4.8 5.7 3.6 5.9 5.5 5.0 4.6 6.4 3.7 3.2 10.0 11.1 8.0
Be satisfied with your college 60.5 57.5 64.2 56.0 59.3 59.9 63.3 56.5 63.1 67.5 54.9 50.9 61.7
Participate in volunteer or community service work 37.1 33.3 41.8 29.9 37.3 35.8 46.2 34.3 39.0 50.9 44.8 41.6 50.2
Seek personal counseling 13.9 13.6 14.3 13.0 14.2 14.6 15.7 12.9 14.0 15.0 21.6 20.6 23.3
Communicate regularly with your professors 44.4 44.0 45.0 41.9 46.4 47.3 50.9 43.0 43.4 50.0 47.9 43.8 55.0
Socialize with someone of another racial/ethnic group 70.7 68.2 73.8 68.7 67.7 69.3 71.2 64.1 72.6 77.4 58.1 53.6 65.8
Participate in student clubs/groups 54.0 48.5 60.6 46.5 50.9 53.3 58.0 44.6 58.8 66.4 47.3 42.0 56.4
Participate in a study abroad program 35.5 31.3 40.7 25.7 38.0 41.7 41.6 32.2 38.6 47.3 32.0 27.1 40.4
Have a roommate of a different race/ethnicity 35.0 34.4 35.8 34.8 33.9 37.7 32.4 30.7 34.4 40.3 25.5 25.5 25.4
Discuss course content with students outside of class 54.2 49.6 59.7 48.0 51.6 53.8 55.3 47.4 58.7 63.0 43.2 36.6 54.4
Work on a professor’s research project 32.5 32.3 32.8 31.2 33.6 34.5 35.7 31.6 32.1 34.9 44.4 43.9 45.3
Take courses from more than one college
simultaneously 6.3 6.1 6.6 5.5 6.8 7.2 7.5 6.0 6.3 7.2 12.7 12.5 12.9
Take a leave of absence from this college temporarily 2.4 2.7 2.0 2.6 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.0 2.1 7.1 8.1 5.4
Take a course exclusively online at this institution 6.7 7.3 6.0 7.8 6.8 6.0 7.6 7.1 6.3 5.0 15.6 16.9 13.3
Take a course exclusively online at a different
institution 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.0 3.3 3.0 3.5 3.6 2.7 2.7 7.1 7.7 6.2
Vote in a local, state, or national election 59.8 55.9 64.6 55.3 56.6 56.4 59.6 55.2 64.8 63.8 53.6 50.1 59.4
 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
Weighted National Norms—All Respondents
Baccalaureate Black Colleges
All Bacc Institutions 4-year Colleges Universities and Universities
All Respondents Institutions 4-yr Coll Universities Public Private Nonsec Catholic Oth Relig Public Private All HBCU Public Private
CIRP Construct: Habits of Mind
High 26.3 23.5 29.5 22.8 24.3 25.9 27.8 20.8 28.4 33.5 28.8 25.1 35.5
Average 44.2 43.0 45.6 43.1 42.8 43.9 42.3 42.1 45.7 45.3 39.7 38.9 41.0
Low 29.5 33.5 24.9 34.1 32.9 30.3 30.0 37.1 25.9 21.2 31.5 36.0 23.5
Mean 49.66 48.81 50.61 48.60 49.06 49.57 49.91 48.08 50.33 51.65 49.69 48.63 51.58
CIRP Construct: Academic Self-Concept
High 26.4 21.0 32.6 21.6 20.3 20.6 20.5 19.9 31.7 35.6 23.6 22.8 25.0
Average 49.7 48.5 51.1 47.4 49.8 50.3 51.2 48.7 51.5 49.3 46.5 44.8 49.6
Low 23.9 30.5 16.4 31.1 29.9 29.2 28.3 31.4 16.7 15.2 29.9 32.4 25.4
Mean 51.10 49.68 52.71 49.77 49.58 49.66 49.96 49.30 52.59 53.18 50.16 49.80 50.78
CIRP Construct: Social Self-Concept
High 25.6 25.3 26.0 25.1 25.6 25.0 27.3 25.4 25.1 29.2 35.8 34.5 38.0
Average 55.4 54.9 56.1 55.2 54.6 54.9 54.9 54.1 56.4 54.9 51.7 52.2 50.7
Low 18.9 19.8 18.0 19.7 19.8 20.1 17.8 20.5 18.5 15.9 12.5 13.3 11.3
Mean 50.89 50.73 51.06 50.72 50.74 50.62 51.15 50.66 50.91 51.63 52.59 52.32 53.05
CIRP Construct: Pluralistic Orientation
High 28.4 26.9 30.1 26.9 26.8 28.3 29.2 24.0 29.6 32.0 33.8 30.3 40.1
Average 44.1 42.6 45.8 42.7 42.5 43.9 42.5 41.0 45.8 45.6 37.2 35.9 39.7
Low 27.5 30.5 24.1 30.3 30.7 27.8 28.3 35.1 24.5 22.4 29.0 33.8 20.2
Mean 49.84 49.24 50.51 49.26 49.22 49.75 49.91 48.32 50.40 50.93 50.22 49.15 52.16
CIRP Construct: Social Agency
High 28.4 27.9 29.1 26.6 29.3 29.8 32.9 26.9 27.3 35.3 49.1 45.1 56.1
Average 45.9 45.8 46.1 45.8 45.9 45.2 45.5 46.8 46.6 44.6 38.2 40.8 33.8
Low 25.6 26.3 24.7 27.6 24.8 25.0 21.7 26.3 26.2 20.1 12.7 14.1 10.2
Mean 50.34 50.18 50.53 49.84 50.59 50.63 51.53 50.07 50.09 51.99 55.09 54.19 56.65
CIRP Construct: Civic Engagement
High 23.4 22.0 25.0 20.6 23.7 24.7 26.4 21.3 23.7 30.1 34.4 30.6 41.1
Average 47.7 47.9 47.5 47.5 48.4 47.4 48.8 49.3 47.6 47.0 43.9 45.7 40.7
Low 28.9 30.1 27.5 31.9 27.9 27.9 24.8 29.4 28.7 22.9 21.7 23.6 18.2
Mean 49.69 49.36 50.05 48.95 49.85 49.98 50.53 49.36 49.75 51.21 51.96 51.16 53.38
CIRP Construct: College Reputation Orientation
High 57.2 55.4 59.3 54.0 57.2 56.1 67.1 53.3 57.4 66.0 56.5 49.8 68.6
Average 34.2 35.2 33.0 35.9 34.3 35.4 27.2 36.8 34.4 28.1 33.3 37.7 25.3
Low 8.6 9.4 7.7 10.1 8.5 8.5 5.7 9.9 8.2 5.8 10.2 12.5 6.1
Mean 54.73 54.34 55.19 54.09 54.64 54.60 56.01 53.99 54.94 56.07 54.47 53.34 56.46
CIRP Construct: Likelihood of College Involvement
High 27.3 23.3 32.2 19.0 28.2 31.0 32.8 23.0 30.0 39.2 25.7 21.3 33.3
Average 36.5 36.1 36.9 36.0 36.2 36.2 36.5 35.9 37.2 36.1 36.5 36.1 37.3
Low 36.3 40.7 30.9 45.0 35.6 32.8 30.7 41.1 32.8 24.6 37.8 42.7 29.4
Mean 48.48 47.48 49.70 46.52 48.62 49.22 49.83 47.37 49.23 51.23 48.08 46.93 50.07
55
 APPENDIX A

Research Methodology
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data reported here have been weighted to The National Population for 2015
provide a normative picture of the American For the purposes of the 2015 CIRP Freshman
college first-year student population for persons Survey, the population has been defined as
engaged in policy analysis, human resource all institutions of higher education admitting
­planning, campus administration, educational first-time first-year students and granting a
research, and guidance and counseling, as well baccalaureate-level degree or higher listed in
as for the general community of students and the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated
parents. This Appendix provides a brief overview Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
of the CIRP methodology and describes the An institution is considered eligible if it was
procedures used to weight the annual freshman operating at the time of the IPEDS survey and
survey results to produce the national normative had a first-time, full-time freshman class of at
estimates. least 25 students. In addition, a small number
of institutions or their branches are included
even though their separate enrollments were not
Historical Overview available from the IPEDS files. In 2015, the
From 1966 to 1970, approximately 15 percent national population included 1,574 institutions.
of the nation’s institutions of higher education It should be noted that the population reflects
were selected by sampling procedures and institutions of “higher education,” rather than
invited to participate in the program. As the “postsecondary education.” Most proprietary,
academic community became aware of the value special vocational, or semiprofessional institutions
of program participation, additional institutions are not currently included in the population.
asked to participate. Beginning in 1971, all
­institutions that had entering first-year classes
and that responded to the U.S. Department of
Education’s Higher Education General Infor­
mation Survey were invited to participate.
A minimal charge plus a unit rate based on the
number of forms processed helps to defray the
direct costs of the survey.

59
 Institutional Stratification Design Identifying the Norms Sample
The institutions identified as part of the national Generally speaking, an institution is included
population are divided into 26 stratification in the national norms sample if it provided a
groups based on type (four-year college, univer- ­representative sample of its FTFT population.
sity), control (public, private nonsectarian, The minimum percentage required of a sample
Roman Catholic, other religious), institutional is 65 percent. Institutions whose sample propor-
race (predominantly non-Black, predominantly tions were less than but close to these cutoffs are
Black), and the “selectivity level” of the insti­ included if the method used to administer the
tution. Selectivity, defined as the median SAT survey showed no systematic biases in first-year
Verbal and Math scores of the entering class (or class coverage.
ACT composite score), was made an integral
Information about the FTFT population and
part of the stratification design in 1968.
the method of survey administration is obtained
Table A1 shows the distribution of institutions
from participating institutions at the time they
across the stratification cells. The dividing lines
return their completed surveys. In the event an
between low, medium and high selectivity levels
institution did not return FTFT information,
are different for different types of institutions
counts from the most recent IPEDS survey are
and should not be used as a measure of institu-
used. This procedure, although not optimal, is
tional or program quality.
adequate unless the institution experienced a
A comprehensive restratification of the national substantial change in its FTFT population since
population was undertaken in 2008 and is the last IPEDS survey.
updated every few years, reviewing not only
institutions’ selectivity scores but also their
control and religious affiliation (if any) as The 2015 Data
reported to IPEDS. In 2015, “university” is Although 202,205 respondents at 311 two- and
defined by 2010 Basic Carnegie Classification four-year colleges and universities returned their
as “research universities” or “doctoral/research forms in time for their data to be included in the
universities.” Appendix C lists the current strati- 2015 norms, the normative data presented here
fication cell assignment of institutions that are based on responses from 141,189 FTFT
participated in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey. freshmen entering 199 baccalaureate institutions.

Having defined the population in terms of the The normative data presented here were
stratification cell scheme, the IPEDS file is used collected by administering the 2015 CIRP
to compute the male and female first-time, full- Freshman Survey during registration, freshman
time (FTFT) population in each cell. These orientation, or the first few weeks of classes (i.e.,
population counts form the target counts of the before the students have had any substantial
weighting procedure. experience with college life). The survey is
designed to elicit a wide range of biographic
and demographic data, as well as data on the
students’ high school background, career plans,
educational aspirations, financial arrangements,
high school activities, and current attitudes.

60
 Table A1. 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey National Norms Sample and Population

Selectivity Institutions
First-time, Full-time Freshmen Cell Weights
Institution Strat Average Norms Unweighted Weighted
Type Cell Level Score Population Survey Sample Number Number Men Women Men Women
1 low  800–1079 64 12 6 9,406 159,634 72,005  87,629 19.28 18.37
Public
2 medium 1080–1189 56 8 5 14,044 203,721 98,861 104,860 16.09 13.87
Universities
3 high 1190–1600 45 11 5 16,980 207,907 99,565 108,342 14.08 13.10
4 medium  800–1184 34 8 5 3,399 29,640 12,533 17,108 9.56 9.75
Private
5 high 1185–1339 29 8 5 7,559 51,612 22,976 28,636 7.77 6.59
Universities
6 very high 1340–1600 30 11 5 8,660 53,283 26,328 26,955 6.58 5.99
Public 7,10 low 800–984 119 10 5 6,190 108,173 46,122 62,051 15.86 21.06
4-year 8 medium  985–1034 129 12 6 7,855 147,846 64,987 82,858 22.72 19.86
Colleges 9 high 1035–1600 98 12 7 3,546 135,227 61,843 73,385 23.91 81.88
Private 11,15 low 800–989 109 11 8 2,289 32,684 14,257 18,427 17.13 13.69
Nonsectarian 12 medium  990–1069 69 15 12 5,657 30,054 12,893 17,161 5.63 5.29
4-year 13 high 1070–1189 75 22 16 5,547 36,340 16,041 20,298 8.14 5.87
Colleges 14 very high 1190–1600 82 39 28 12,371 42,793 18,900 23,894 3.65 3.44
Catholic 16,19 low 800–994 58 13 9 2,182 15,767  5,285 10,482 8.39 7.75
4-year 17 medium  995–1084 44 9 8 3,324 16,083  6,638  9,445 5.53 4.55
Colleges 18 high 1085–1600 49 18 13 10,595 34,286 14,191 20,096 3.25 3.30
Other 20,24 very low 800–999 142 11 6 1,325 34,814 17,554 17,260 30.50 26.13
Religious 21 low 1000–1039 77 10 6 1,332 20,041  9,154 10,887 14.31 17.37
4-year 22 medium 1040–1109 75 13 12 3,993 28,662 11,948 16,713 7.38 7.25
Colleges 23 high 1110–1600 110 32 21 9,431 52,914 22,847 30,067 5.97 5.47
34,40 public — 39 11 6 2,813 27,377 11,434 15,943 11.87 8.87
Predominantly
35,38
Black Colleges private — 41 11 5 2,691 15,331  6,378  8,953 6.09 6.12
39,41
All Institutions 1,574 308 199 141,189 1,484,188
Note:
–The broad categories of Institution Control (i.e., public, private, and religious affiliation) are defined by data submitted to Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS).
–Universities are those institutions defined by 2010 Basic Carnegie Classification as “Research Universities” or “Doctoral/Research Universities.”
–Selectivity is based on median SAT Verbal + Math scores and/or ACT composite scores of the entering class as reported to IPEDS. Other comparable sources (e.g., Common Data Set) are
used for institutions not reporting SAT/ACT scores to IPEDS. Institutions with unknown selectivity are grouped with the low-selectivity institutions when computing National Norms.
The stratification design presented here is used to group schools to develop population weights and should not be used as a measure of institutional or program quality.
–Cell Weights are the ratio between the number of first-time, full-time freshmen enrolled in all colleges and the number of first-time, full-time freshmen enrolled in the norms
sample colleges.
–Two-year colleges are not included in the norms sample.
61
 In addition to standard biographic and demo- Weighting the Sample
graphic items that have been administered Those institutions identified as being part of the
annually to each entering class, the survey also norms sample are weighted by a two-step proce-
contains other research-oriented items that may dure. The first weight is designed to adjust for
have been modified from previous years. The response bias within institutions. Counts of the
inclusion of modified items permits a more male and female FTFT population for each
­thorough coverage of student characteristics institution are divided by that institution’s male
but also represents a compromise between two and female FTFT respondent count. The
mutually exclusive objectives: (1) comparability resulting weights, when applied to each respon-
of information from year to year which is dent, bring the male and female respondent
required for assessing trends; and (2) flexibility counts up to the corresponding counts for the
in item content to meet changing information population at that institution.
and research needs.
The second weight is designed to compensate
The survey, reproduced as Appendix B, has been for nonparticipating institutions within each
developed in collaboration with students, profes- ­stratification cell. The weighted male and female
sional associations, participating institutions, counts for all participating institutions in each
government agencies, educational researchers, stratification cell are first summed and then are
administrators, and policy makers. The survey divided into the national male and female FTFT
content is reviewed annually by the research counts for all institutions in that stratification
directors at the Higher Education Research cell, producing a second set of cell weights.
Institute (HERI) at UCLA as well as others
To bring the racial composition of the weighted
interested in the annual freshman survey program.
sample more in line with the data reported by
First-time, full-time freshmen enrolled at insti­ IPEDS, we applied an adjusted second weight
tutions meeting minimal quality requirements to several stratification cells for two racial/
for inclusion in the norms are differentially ethnic groups. For these stratification cells, we
weighted to represent the national FTFT popu- computed separate second weights for Asian/
lation. Part-time students and those who are Pacific Islander students (compared to non-
not first-time college students (i.e., transfers Asian/Pacific Islander students) and for Hispanic
and former enrollees) are excluded from the students (compared to those who did not iden-
normative sample. tify as Hispanic). These separate second weights
were combined with the first weight (weighting
within institutions) as described in the next
paragraph.

62
The final weight is simply the product of the construct score in IRT involves deriving a
first and second weights. Weighting each maximum likelihood score estimate based on the
response in the norms sample using the final pattern of the person’s responses to the entire set
weight brings the male and female counts up of survey items for that construct (or to a sub-set
to the national number of first-time full-time of the items that were answered). Items that tap
freshmen in each stratification cell (see Table A1). into the trait more effectively are given greater
weight in the estimation process (see Table A2).
The weighted data are combined separately to
A respondent’s construct score is thus not a
form various comparison groups. Comparison
simple arithmetic mean or weighted sum, but
groups are hierarchically organized, allowing
rather the estimated score that is most likely,
participating institutions to compare their results
given how the student answered the set of items.
by type (four-year college versus university),
CIRP Constructs are scored on a Z-score metric
control (public, private nonsectarian, Roman
and rescaled for a mean of approximately fifty
Catholic, other religious), race (Historically
and standard deviation of ten.
Black Colleges and Universities versus non-
HBCUs), and selectivity level. The low, average, and high construct score group
percentages and the mean for the construct are
reported here. Low scores represent students
CIRP Constructs who are one-half standard deviation below the
CIRP Constructs represent sets of related survey mean or lower. Average scores represent students
items that measure an underlying trait or aspect whose scores are within one-half standard devia-
of a student’s life. Item Response Theory (IRT), tion of the mean. High scores represent students
a modern psychometric method that has several who are one-half standard deviation or more
advantages over methods used in more ­traditional above the mean. Please visit HERI’s website
factor analysis, is used to create a construct score for more detailed information about CIRP
for each respondent. Computing an individual’s Constructs.

63
64

Table A2. List of CIRP Freshman Survey Constructs

(including survey items and estimation ‘weights’)

Habits of Mind is a unified measure of the behaviors and traits associated with academic success.
These learning behaviors are seen as the foundation for lifelong learning.
How often in the past year did you:
• Seek solutions to problems and explain them to others (1.99) • Ask questions in class (1.20)
• Support your opinions with a logical argument (1.74) • Look up scientific research articles and resources (1.05)
• Seek alternative solutions to a problem (1.61) • Revise your papers to improve your writing (1.04)
• Evaluate the quality or reliability of information you received (1.58) • Take a risk because you felt you had more to gain (1.03)
• Explore topics on your own, even though it was not required for a class (1.27) • Accept mistakes as part of the learning process (0.95)
• Seek feedback on your academic work (1.24)
Academic Self-Concept is a unified measure of students’ beliefs about their abilities and confidence
in academic environments.
Rate yourself on each of the following traits as compared with the average person your age:
• Academic ability (3.52) • Self-confidence—intellectual (1.22)
• Mathematical ability (1.32) • Drive to achieve (0.95)
Social Self-Concept is a unified measure of students’ beliefs about their abilities and confidence in social situations.
Rate yourself on each of the following traits as compared with the average person your age:
• Self-confidence—social (2.33) • Public speaking ability (1.68)
• Leadership ability (1.96)
Pluralistic Orientation measures skills and dispositions appropriate for living and working in a diverse society.
Rate yourself on each of the following traits as compared with the average person your age:
• Ability to work cooperatively with diverse people (1.68) • Ability to discuss and negotiate controversial issues (1.53)
• Tolerance of others with different beliefs (1.64) • Ability to see the world from someone else’s perspective (1.40)
• Openness to having my views challenged (1.57)
Social Agency measures the extent to which students value political and social involvement as a personal goal.
Indicate the importance to you personally of each of the following:
• Participating in a community action program (2.42) • Influencing social values (1.58)
• Helping to promote racial understanding (2.05) • Helping others who are in difficulty (1.36)
• Becoming a community leader (2.01) • Keeping up to date with political affairs (1.35)
Civic Engagement measures the extent to which students are motivated and involved in civic, electoral, and
political activities.
Indicate activities you did in the past year: Indicate the importance to you personally of each of the following:
• Demonstrated for a cause (e.g., boycott, rally, protest) (1.46) • Influencing social values (0.97)
• Worked on a local, state, or national political campaign (1.42) • Keeping up to date with political affairs (0.86)
• Publicly communicated my opinion about a cause (e.g. blog, email, petition) (1.35)
• Helped raise money for a cause or campaign (1.11)
• Performed volunteer work (0.80)
 Table A2 (continued)

College Reputation Orientation measures the degree to which students value academic reputation and
future career potential as a reason for choosing this college.
How important was each reason in your decision to come here?
• This college’s graduates get good jobs (6.11) • This college has a very good academic reputation (1.54)
• This college’s graduates gain admission to top graduate/professional schools (2.50)
Likelihood of College Involvement is a unified measure of students’ expectations about their involvement
in college life generally.
What is your best guess as to the chances that you will:
• Participate in student clubs/groups (3.25) • Participate in a study abroad program (1.24)
• Participate in a volunteer or community service work (1.58) • Participate in student government (0.96)
• Socialize with someone of another racial/ethnic group (1.28)
65
 APPENDIX B

The 2015 CIRP

Freshman Survey Instrument
ke 8.5 pdf!!! Run stubs separate from Mac.
2015 CIRP Freshman Survey 25. Be
int
PLEASE PRINT IN ALL CAPS YOUR NAME AND PERMANENT/HOME ADDRESS (one letter or number per box). yo
FIRST MI LAST When were you born?
AR
NAME: 01
02
03
Month Day Year
ADDRESS: 04
(01-12) (01-31)
05

CITY: STATE: ZIP: PHONE:

06
STUDENT ID# (as instructed): EMAIL (print letters carefully): 07
08
09
10
9. From what kind of high school did you 18. How many weeks this summer did you participate 11
MARKING DIRECTIONS graduate? (Mark one) in a bridge program at this institution? BIO
• Use a black or blue pen. ` Public school (not charter or magnet) SC
` 0 ` 3-4 ` 7+
SERIAL #

• Fill in your response completely. 12

Mark out any answer you wish to
` Public charter school ` 1-2 ` 5-6 13

change with an “X”.

Public magnet school ` 19. Have you had, or do you feel you will need, any
14

CORRECT MARK INCORRECT MARKS

`
Private religious/parochial school special tutoring or remedial work in any of the
15
`
Private independent college-prep school following subjects? (Mark all that apply)
a~aa aaaa 16
Home school ` Have Had Will Need 17
A B 10. Prior to this term, have you ever taken
courses for credit at this institution?
English .......................................... ` ` 18
Group Code Reading ........................................ ` ` 19
` Yes ` No Mathematics ................................. ` ` 20
1. Your sex: ` Male ` Female 11. Since leaving high school, have you ever Social Studies............................... ` ` 21
taken courses, whether for credit or not 22
2. How old will you be on December 31 for credit, at any other institution
Science ......................................... ` ` 23
of this year? (Mark one) (university, 4- or 2-year college, technical, Foreign Language ........................ ` ` BU
16 or younger . ` 21-24 ......... ` vocational, or business school)? Writing .......................................... ` ` 24
17.................... ` 25-29 ......... ` ` Yes ` No 20. How many Advanced Placement/International
25
26
18.................... ` 30-39 ......... ` 12. Where do you plan to live during the fall Baccalaureate courses or exams did you take
27
term? (Mark one) in high school? (Mark one for each row)
19.................... ` 40-54 ......... ` With my family or other relatives ........... `
28

l
20.................... ` 55 or older . `

choo
29

my h ffered at
Other private home, apartment, or room . ` 30

igh s
3. Is English your native language? College residence hall ........................... ` 31

Not o

10-14
None
32
` Yes ` No Fraternity or sorority house ................... `

15+
1-4
5-9
33
4. In what year did you graduate from Other campus student housing ............. ` AP Courses ........................ ``````
high school? (Mark one) Other...................................................... ` 34
AP Exams........................... `````` 35
2015.......... ` Did not graduate but 13. To how many colleges other than this one IB Courses.......................... `````` ED
2014.......... ` passed G.E.D. test. ` did you apply for admission this year?
IB Exams ............................ `````` 36
2013.......... ` Never completed None 1 ` 4 `
7-8 `
21. At this institution, which course placement tests
37
2012 or earlier ` high school........... ` ` 2 ` 5 `
9-10 ` 38
have you taken in the following subject areas: 39
5. Are you enrolled (or enrolling) as a:
3 ` 6 `
11 or more `
YN English 40
(Mark one) 14. Were you accepted by your first choice 41
Full-time student ........ ` college? YN Reading
` Yes ` No YN Mathematics EN
Part-time student ....... ` 42
15. Is this college your: (Mark one) YN Writing
6. How many miles is this college from
your permanent home? (Mark one) First choice ............ ` Less than third 22. Please mark the sex of your parent(s) or
43

5 or less ` 11-50 ` 101-500 ` Second choice ....... ` choice ........... ` guardian(s).

Male Female 44
6-10 ` 51-100 ` Over 500 ` Third choice ........... ` 45
Parent/Guardian 1 ........................... ` ` 46
7. What was your average grade in high 16. Citizenship status: (Mark one)
school? (Mark one)
Parent/Guardian 2 ........................... ` ` 47
` U.S. citizen 23. Are your parents: (Mark one)
48
A or A+ ` B ` C ` ` Permanent resident (green card)
A– ` B– ` D ` ` International student (F-1 or M-1 visa)
Both alive and living with each other......... ` 49

B+ ` C+ ` ` None of the above

Both alive, divorced or living apart ............ ` 50

8. What were your scores on the SAT I 17. Please mark which of the following
One or both deceased............................... `
and/or ACT? courses you have completed: 24. Do you consider yourself:
51

SAT Critical Reading ..........

YN Algebra II (Mark Yes or No for each item)
Yes No 52
YN Pre-calculus/Trigonometry 53
Probability & Statistics
Pre-Med ........................................... ` `
SAT Mathematics ...............
YN Pre-Law ........................................... ` `
54

YN Calculus
AP Probability & Statistics 25. Please indicate your intended major
SAT Writing ........................
YN using the codes provided on the
YN AP Calculus
attached fold out.
Tu
ACT Composite .......................

69
 26. Please indicate your intended career 32. Current religious preference: 34. Continued. For the

Parent/ n 1
n2
as well as the careers of your parents/ (Mark one in each column) activities below, indicate

Guardia
Guardia
Parent/
Yours
urvey) guardians, using the codes provided which ones you did during
on the attached fold out.

ionally
the past year. (Mark one for
Agnostic ..................................... Y12

ntly

All
LOGY each item)

Freque
Atheist........................................ Y12

Occas
Not at
eloper Your intended career
Baptist........................................ Y12
Buddhist..................................... Y12 Voted in a student election ... FON
Parent/Guardian 1 career Church of Christ ........................ Y12 Socialized with someone of
Eastern Orthodox ...................... Y12 another racial/ethnic group . FON
RS Parent/Guardian 2 career Episcopalian .............................. Y12 Came late to class................ FON
Hindu ......................................... Y12 Performed community
service as a part of a class . FON
ed
27. Current employment status: Jewish........................................ Y12
Unemploy
Employed
(Mark one in each row) LDS (Mormon) ........................... Y12
Discussed religion ................ FON
Retired Lutheran .................................... Y12
Discussed politics ................. FON
Worked on a local, state, or
Parent/Guardian 1 .................. ``` Methodist ................................... Y12 national political campaign . FON
ING Parent/Guardian 2 .................. ``` Muslim ....................................... Y12 Skipped school/class ............ FON
Presbyterian .............................. Y12
logist, Publicly communicated my
28. How much of your first year’s educational Quaker .......................................
expenses (room, board, tuition, and fees) do you Y12 opinion about a cause (e.g.,
expect to cover from each of the sources listed Roman Catholic ......................... Y12 blog, email, petition) ........... FON
below? (Mark one answer for Seventh-day Adventist .............. Y12 Helped raise money for a
FON
$14,999

per each possible source) cause or campaign .............

United Church of Christ/
5,999

9,999

ok,
Congregational ............................ Y12
Fell asleep in class ............... FON
9

$15,000+
$1-$2,99

$3,000-$

$6,000-$

$10,000-

Failed to complete homework

Other Christian .......................... Y12
None

Family resources (parents,

Other Religion ...........................
on time ............................... FON
relatives, spouse, etc.) ....... `````` Y12 Used an online instructional
r, None .......................................... Y12 website (e.g., Khan
My own resources (savings Academy, Coursera)
from work, work-study, 33. What is the highest academic As assigned for a class .... FON

at This Colle ed
ed

ge
degree that you intend to

Highest Plann
Highest Plann
other income) ..................... `````` To learn something on
obtain?
T
(Mark one in each column)
your own .......................... FON
Aid which need not be repaid
(grants, scholarships, 35. How would you rate

ness
ong
gth
military funding, etc.) .......... yourself in the following

ak
`````` None .......................................... ` ... `

hat We
hat Str

r Weak
r Stren
areas:
Aid which must be repaid Vocational certificate ................. ` ... ` (Mark one for each item)

e
(loans, etc.) ........................ `````` Associate (A.A. or equivalent) ... ` ... `

Somew

Somew
Averag
A Majo

A Majo
Other than above.................. Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) . ` ... ` Ability to see the world
`````` Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.). ` ... ` from someone else’s
Ph.D. or Ed.D. ........................... ` ... ` perspective ............... `````
29. Did you receive any of the following forms of
financial aid? (Mark Yes or No for each item) M.D., D.O., D.D.S., or D.V.M. ... ` ... ` Tolerance of others
J.D. (Law) .................................. ` ... ` with different beliefs . `````
Yes No
B.D. or M.DIV. (Divinity) ............ ` ... ` Openness to having
Military grants .................................. ` ` Other.......................................... ` ... ` my own views
Work-study ...................................... ` ` 34. For the activities below, indicate which
challenged ................ `````
Pell Grant ........................................ ` ` ones you did during the past year. If you Ability to discuss and
negotiate controversial
Need-based grants or scholarships.. ` ` engaged in an activity frequently, mark F.
issues ........................ `````
Merit-based grants or scholarships.. ` ` If you engaged in an activity one or more
times, but not frequently, mark Ability to work
cooperatively with
30. What is your best estimate of your parents’/ O (Occasionally). Mark N (Not
ionally

diverse people .......... `````

guardians’ total income last year? Consider at all) if you have not performed
tly

All

Critical thinking skills .. `````

n

income from all sources before taxes. (Mark one) the activity during the past
Freque
Occas
Not at

year. (Mark one for each item) Ability to manage your

` Less than $10,000 ` $50,000-59,999
time effectively ......... `````
` $10,000-14,999 ` $60,000-74,999 Attended a religious service ...... FON
` $15,000-19,999 ` $75,000-99,999 Was bored in class .................... FON 36. What is the highest level of formal
` $20,000-24,999 ` $100,000-149,999 Demonstrated for a cause (e.g., education obtained by your parents/
guardians?(Mark one in each column)
` $25,000-29,999 ` $150,000-199,999 boycott, rally, protest)............. FON Parent/
Parent/
` $30,000-39,999 ` $200,000-249,999 Tutored another student ............ FON Guardian 1 Guardian 2
Junior high/Middle
` $40,000-49,999 ` $250,000 or more Studied with other students ....... FON school or less ..............
Smoked cigarettes.....................
` ........... `
31. Do you have any concern about your ability FON Some high school .......... ` ........... `
to finance your college education? (Mark one) Drank beer................................. FON High school graduate .... ` ........... `
Drank wine or liquor .................. FON
None (I am confident that I will have Postsecondary school
Felt overwhelmed by all I had to do.. FON other than college........
sufficient funds) ............................................ ` ` ........... `
Felt depressed........................... FON Some college.................
Some (but I probably will have enough funds) .. ` ` ........... `
Performed volunteer work ......... FON College degree ..............
Major (not sure I will have enough funds ` ........... `
Asked a teacher for advice Some graduate school .. ` ........... `
to complete college) ..................................... ` after class ................................ FON Graduate degree ........... ` ........... `

70
 37. How often in the past 41. Rate yourself on each of the following

e
ionally

e
Averag

Averag
ntly
year did you? traits as compared with the average

10%

t 10%
All
(Mark one for each person your age. We want the most

Freque
Occas

e
Not at

Averag
Highes

Lowes
Above
item) accurate estimate of how you see

Below
yourself. (Mark one in each row)
Ask questions in class .................... FON Academic ability ...................................... `````
Support your opinions with a
logical argument ........................... FON
Artistic ability ........................................... `````
Seek solutions to problems and
Competitiveness ...................................... `````
explain them to others ................... FON Computer skills ........................................ `````
Revise your papers to improve Cooperativeness...................................... `````
your writing ................................... FON Creativity.................................................. `````
Evaluate the quality or reliability Drive to achieve....................................... `````
of information you received .......... FON
Take a risk because you feel you
Emotional health...................................... `````
have more to gain ........................ FON
Leadership ability .................................... `````
Seek alternative solutions to a
Mathematical ability ................................. `````
problem ........................................ FON Physical health ........................................ `````
Look up scientific research Public speaking ability ............................. `````
articles and resources .................. FON Risk-taking ............................................... `````
Explore topics on your own, even Self-confidence (intellectual) .................... `````
though it was not required for a
class ............................................. FON
Self-confidence (social) ........................... `````
Accept mistakes as part of the
Self-understanding .................................. `````
learning process ........................... FON Spirituality ................................................ `````
Seek feedback on your academic Understanding of others .......................... ````` 1 Disagree Strongly
work .............................................. FON Writing ability ........................................... ````` 2 Disagree Somewhat
38. Are you: (Mark all that apply)
3 Agree Somewhat
42. Mark one in each row: 4 Agree Strongly
White/Caucasian ........................................ `
African American/Black .............................. `
Racial discrimination is no longer a major problem in America .................................... 4321
American Indian/Alaska Native .................. `
Abortion should be legal................................................................................................ 4321
East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese,
Colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers from campus .................................. 4321
Korean, Taiwanese) ................................. ` Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about changes in our society ............. 4321
Southeast Asian (e.g., Cambodian, Marijuana should be legalized....................................................................................... 4321
Vietnamese, Hmong, Filipino) .................. ` Dissent is a critical component of the political process................................................. 4321
South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Colleges should prohibit racist/sexist speech on campus............................................. 4321
Nepalese, Sri Lankan).............................. ` Women should receive the same salary and opportunities for advancement as
Other Asian ................................................ ` men in comparable positions ..................................................................................... 4321
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ................ ` The United States should intervene in the wars of other countries .............................. 4321
Mexican American/Chicano........................ ` Same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status................................... 4321
Puerto Rican............................................... ` Students from disadvantaged social backgrounds should be given preferential
Other Latino................................................ ` treatment in college admissions................................................................................. 4321
Other........................................................... `

Impoewhat
43. Below are some reasons that might have influenced your decision to

Som nt
rtant
rtant
39. How would you characterize your

rta
attend this particular college. How important was each reason in your

Impo
Very

Impo
political views? (Mark one) decision to come here? (Mark one answer for each possible reason)

Not
` Far left
My parents/relatives wanted me to come here ..................................................... VSN
` Liberal
My teacher advised me ......................................................................................... VSN
` Middle-of-the-road
This college has a very good academic reputation............................................... VSN
` Conservative
This college has a good reputation for its social activities .................................... VSN
` Far right
I was offered financial assistance ......................................................................... VSN
t
portan

40. In deciding to go to college, how The cost of attending this college ......................................................................... VSN
t
portan

important to you was each of the

hat Im
portan

High school counselor advised me ....................................................................... VSN

following reasons?
Private college counselor advised me........................................................................... VSN
Very Im

Somew

(Mark one answer for each possible

Not Im

reason) I wanted to live near home .................................................................................... VSN

To be able to get a better job .......... Not offered aid by first choice ............................................................................... VSN
VSN Could not afford first choice ..................................................................................
2
To gain a general education VSN
and appreciation of ideas ............. This college’s graduates gain admission to top graduate/professional schools ... VSN
VSN This college’s graduates get good jobs.................................................................
To make me a more cultured VSN
person .......................................... I was attracted by the religious affiliation/orientation of this college ..................... VSN
VSN I wanted to go to a school about the size of this college ......................................
To be able to make more money ..... VSN VSN
Rankings in national magazines ........................................................................... VSN
To learn more about things that
interest me ................................... I was admitted through an Early Action or Early Decision program ..................... VSN
VSN The athletic department recruited me ...................................................................
To get training for a specific career . VSN VSN
A visit to this campus ............................................................................................ VSN
To prepare myself for graduate or
professional school ...................... The percentage of students that graduate from this college................................. VSN
VSN

71
 Send to CTP to proof & make 8
44. During your last year in high school, how much time 50. Please indicate the importance to you
did you spend during a typical week doing the personally of each of the following: N Not Important
following activities? (Mark one for each item) S Somewhat Important

r
V Very Important

1 hou
Becoming accomplished in one E
Essential

than
of the performing arts (acting, dancing, etc.) ............... EVSN

20
11-15
16-20
None
Less

Over
Becoming an authority in my field ................................... EVSN

6-10
1-2
3-5
Hours per week:
Obtaining recognition from my colleagues for
Studying/homework ................... ```````` contributions to my special field .................................... EVSN
Socializing with friends................ ```````` Influencing the political structure ..................................... EVSN
Talking with teachers outside Influencing social values ................................................. EVSN
of class ................................... ```````` Raising a family ............................................................... EVSN
Exercise or sports...................... ````````
Being very well off financially .......................................... EVSN
Helping others who are in difficulty ................................. EVSN
Partying ..................................... ```````` Making a theoretical contribution to science ................... EVSN
Working (for pay) ....................... ```````` Writing original works (poems, novels, etc.) ................... EVSN
Volunteer work .......................... ```````` Creating artistic works (painting, sculpture, etc.) ............... EVSN
% Student clubs/groups.................
Watching TV ..............................
````````
````````
Becoming successful in a business of my own...............
Becoming involved in programs to clean up the
environment ....................................................................
EVSN
EVSN
Household/childcare duties ....... ```````` Developing a meaningful philosophy of life..................... EVSN
Reading for pleasure ................. ```````` Participating in a community action program .................. EVSN
Playing video/computer games . ```````` Helping to promote racial understanding ........................ EVSN
Online social networks Keeping up to date with political affairs........................... EVSN
(Facebook, Twitter, etc.)........ ````````
Becoming a community leader ........................................ EVSN
Improving my understanding of other countries and
45. Military Status: (Mark one) cultures............................................................................ EVSN
` None
` ROTC, cadet, or midshipman at a service academy 51. What is your best guess as to N No Chance
` In Active Duty, Reserves, or National Guard the chances that you will: L Very Little Chance
` A discharged veteran NOT serving in Active Duty, (Mark one for each item) S Some Chance
Reserves, or National Guard V Very Good Chance
Change major field ..................................................................... VSLN
46. How would you describe the racial Change career choice ................................................................ VSLN
White
te

composition of the high Participate in student government.............................................. VSLN

y non-Whi

school you last attended

VSLN
y White

Get a job to help pay for college expenses................................

n-White
half non-

and the neighborhood

Work full-time while attending college ........................................ VSLN
hite

where you grew up?

Join a social fraternity or sorority ............................................... VSLN
Completel

Completel
Mostly no

Mostly W

(Mark one in each row)

Roughly

Play club, intramural, or recreational sports............................... VSLN

Play intercollegiate athletics (e.g., NCAA or NAIA-sponsored)... VSLN
High school I last attended ............. ````` Make at least a “B” average ....................................................... VSLN
Neighborhood where I grew up ......... `````
Participate in student protests or demonstrations ...................... VSLN
Transfer to another college before graduating ........................... VSLN
47. How many years do you expect it will take you to Be satisfied with your college ..................................................... VSLN
graduate from this college? Participate in volunteer or community service work ................... VSLN
` 1 ` 2 ` 3 ` 4 ` 5 ` 6+ Seek personal counseling .......................................................... VSLN
Communicate regularly with your professors ............................. VSLN
` Do not plan to graduate from this college Socialize with someone of another racial/ethnic group .............. VSLN
48. What is your sexual orientation?
Participate in student clubs/groups ............................................ VSLN
Participate in a study abroad program ....................................... VSLN
` Heterosexual/Straight Have a roommate of a different race/ethnicity ........................... VSLN
` Gay Discuss course content with students outside of class .............. VSLN
` Lesbian Work on a professor’s research project ..................................... VSLN
` Bisexual Take courses from more than one college simultaneously........ VSLN
` Queer
Take a leave of absence from this college temporarily.............. VSLN
Take a course exclusively online:
` Other At this institution ....................................................................... VSLN
49. Do you identify as transgender?
At a different institution ............................................................ VSLN
Vote in a local, state, or national election .................................. VSLN
` Yes
` No

The remaining ovals are provided for questions specifically designed by your college rather than the Higher Education Research
Institute. If your college has chosen to use the ovals, please observe carefully the supplemental directions given to you.
52. ABCDE 56. ABCDE 60. ABCDE 64. ABCDE 68. ABCDE
53. ABCDE 57. ABCDE 61. ABCDE 65. ABCDE 69. ABCDE
54. ABCDE 58. ABCDE 62. ABCDE 66. ABCDE 70. ABCDE
55. ABCDE 59. ABCDE 63. ABCDE 67. ABCDE 71. ABCDE
THANK YOU!
© Prepared by the Higher Education Research Institute, University
of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1521 Data Recognition Corp.-6G5144-15115-54321

72
 26. Please indicate your inte
25. Below is a list of different undergraduate major fields grouped 26. Below is a list of different careers grouped into general the careers of your pare
into general categories. (Fill in appropriate two-digit code on categories. (Fill in appropriate two-digit codes on your survey) codes provided on the a
your survey)
u born?
ARTS AND HUMANITIES HEALTH PROFESSIONS
ARTS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Your intended career
01 Actor or Entertainer 40 Computer Programmer/Developer
01 Art, fine and applied 55 Clinical Laboratory Science
02 Artist 41 Computer/Systems Analyst
02 English (language and literature) 56 Health Care Administration/
03 Graphic Designer 42 Web Designer
Year 03 History Studies Parent/Guardian 1 career
04 Musician LAW
04 Journalism/Communication 57 Health Technology
05 Writer/Producer/Director 43 Lawyer/Judge
05 Classical and Modern 58 Kinesiology
Languages and Literature 59 Nursing AGRICULTURE 44 Paralegal
Parent/Guardian 2 career
06 Media/Film Studies 60 Pharmacy 06 Farmer or Forester MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS
07 Music 61 Therapy (occupational, 07 Natural Resource 45 Clinical Psychologist
08 Philosophy physical, speech) Specialist/Environmentalist 46 Dentist/Orthodontist
09 Theatre/Drama 62 Other Health Profession
27. Current employment sta
BUSINESS 47 Medical Doctor/Surgeon
(Mark one in each row)
10 Theology/Religion 08 Accountant 48 Optometrist
MATH AND COMPUTER
ou participate 11 Other Arts and Humanities
SCIENCE 09 Administrative Assistant 49 Pharmacist
n? BIOLOGICAL & LIFE 63 Computer Science 10 Business Manager/Executive 50 Veterinarian Parent/Guardian 1 ...........
SCIENCES 64 Mathematics/Statistics 11 Business Owner/Entrepreneur SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Parent/Guardian 2 ...........
12 Biology (general) 65 Other Math and Computer 12 Retail Sales 51 Engineer
13 Animal Biology (zoology) Science 13 Sales/Marketing 52 Research Scientist (e.g., Biologist,
14 Ecology & Evolutionary 14 Human Resources Chemist, Physicist)
28. How much of your first y
ll need, any PHYSICAL SCIENCE
15 Finance (e.g., Actuary, expenses (room, board,
Biology 53 Urban Planner/Architect
any of the 66 Astronomy & Astrophysics
Banking, Loan Officer, Planner) expect to cover from eac
15 Marine Biology
ply) 67 Atmospheric Sciences
16 Management Consultant
SERVICE INDUSTRY below? (Mark one answe
16 Microbiology
68 Chemistry 54 Custodian/Janitor/Housekeeper
ad Will Need 17 Molecular, Cellular, & 17 Real Estate Agent/Realtor/ each possible source)
69 Earth & Planetary Sciences 55 Food Service (e.g., Chef/Cook,
Appraiser/Developer
` Developmental Biology
18 Neurobiology/Neuroscience
70 Marine Sciences
18 Sports Management
Server)
` 19 Plant Biology (botany)
71 Physics
72 Other Physical Science COMMUNICATIONS
56 Hair Stylist/Aesthetician/

` 20 Agriculture/Natural Resources
Manicurist Family resources (parents
19 Journalist
SOCIAL SCIENCE 57 Interior Designer relatives, spouse, etc.) ..
` 21 Biochemistry/Biophysics
22 Environmental Science
73 Anthropology
20 Public/Media Relations 58 Skilled Trades (e.g., Plumber,
21 Advertising
` 23 Other Biological Science 74 Economics Electrician, Construction) My own resources (saving
` 75 Ethnic/Cultural Studies EDUCATION 59 Social/Non-Profit Services from work, work-study,
BUSINESS 76 Geography 22 College Administrator/Staff 60 CLERGY other income) ................
` 24 Accounting 77 Political Science (gov’t., 23 College Faculty 61 HOMEMAKER/STAY AT
ernational
25 Business Admin. (general) international relations) 24 Early Childcare Provider HOME PARENT
Aid which need not be rep
26 Entrepreneurship 25 Elementary School Teacher (grants, scholarships,
d you take 78 Psychology 62 OTHER
27 Finance
ow) 79 Public Policy 26 Secondary School Teacher 63 UNDECIDED military funding, etc.) .....
28 Hospitality/Tourism 80 Social Work 27 Librarian
29 Human Resources Management 81 Sociology 28 Teacher’s Assistant/ Aid which must be repaid
30 International Business 82 Women’s/Gender Studies Paraprofessional (loans, etc.) ...................
31 Marketing 83 Other Social Science 29 K-12 Administrator Other than above.............
10-14

32 Management 30 Other K-12 Professional

15+
5-9

33 Computer/Management OTHER MAJORS

84 Architecture/Urban Planning GOVERNMENT 29. Did you receive any of t
`` ` Information Systems
34 Real Estate 85 Criminal Justice 31 Military financial aid? (Mark Yes
`` ` 35 Other Business 86 Library Science 32 Federal/State/Local
Government Official
`` ` EDUCATION
87 Security & Protective
Services 33 Protective Services Military grants ..................
`` ` 36 Elementary Education 88 Military Sciences/ (e.g., Homeland Security, Work-study ......................
37 Music/Art Education Technology/Operations Law Enforcement, Firefighter)
cement tests 38 Physical Education/Recreation Pell Grant ........................
34 Postal Worker
ect areas: 39 Secondary Education 89 OTHER
Need-based grants or sch
HEALTHCARE SUPPORT
40 Special Education 90 UNDECIDED
35 Dietician/Nutritionist Merit-based grants or scho
41 Other Education
36 Home Health Worker
ENGINEERING 37 Medical/Dental Assistant 30. What is your best estima
42 Aerospace/Aeronautical/ (e.g., Hygienist, Lab Tech, guardians’ total income l
Astronautical Engineering Nursing Asst.) income from all sources
43 Biological/Agricultural 38 Registered Nurse
s) or ` Less than $10,000
Engineering 39 Therapist (e.g., Physical,
le Female 44 Biomedical Engineering Occupational, Speech) ` $10,000-14,999
45 Chemical Engineering
` ` 46 Civil Engineering
` $15,000-19,999
` ` 47 Computer Engineering ` $20,000-24,999
48 Electrical/Electronic ` $25,000-29,999
Communications Engineering
..... ` 49 Engineering Science/
` $30,000-39,999

..... ` Engineering Physics ` $40,000-49,999

50 Environmental/Environmental
..... ` Health Engineering 31. Do you have any concer
51 Industrial/Manufacturing Carefully detach this section after to finance your college e
Engineering answering Questions 25 and 26 None (I am confident that
s No 52 Materials Engineering
sufficient funds) .............
53 Mechanical Engineering
` ` 54 Other Engineering Some (but I probably will h
` ` Major (not sure I will have
to complete college) ......

Turn over for Question 26

73
 APPENDIX C

Institutions Participating in the

2015 CIRP Freshman Survey
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

1243 Adrian College Adrian MI 21 Yes

1 Alabama A & M University Normal AL 34 No
354 Albertus Magnus College New Haven CT 16 No
1244 Albion College Albion MI 23 Yes
2232 Albright College Reading PA 22 Yes
2233 Allegheny College Meadville PA 23 No
1245 Alma College Alma MI 23 Yes
414 American University Washington DC 5 No
1135 Amherst College Amherst MA 14 Yes
2432 Anderson University Anderson SC 22 Yes
2046 Antioch College Yellow Springs OH 11 No
2235 Arcadia University Glenside PA 23 No
125 Art Center College of Design Pasadena CA 12 No
1322 Augsburg College Minneapolis MN 22 Yes
599 Aurora University Aurora IL 12 No

1141 Babson College Wellesley MA 14 Yes

454 Barry University Miami FL 4 No
1042 Bates College Lewiston ME 14 Yes
5275 Bay Path College Longmeadow MA 11 No
2519 Belmont University Nashville TN 23 No
2931 Beloit College Beloit WI 14 Yes
7072 Benedictine College Atchison KS 18 No
692 Benedictine University Lisle IL 4 Yes
1934 Bennett College for Women Greensboro NC 38 No
503 Berry College Mount Berry GA 13 Yes
5349 Bethany Lutheran College Mankato MN 23 Yes
5753 Biola University La Mirada CA 4 Yes
1641 Bloomfield College Bloomfield NJ 20 No
2049 Bluffton University Bluffton OH 21 Yes
1142 Boston College Chestnut Hill MA 5 Yes
1193 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA 8 Yes
2404 Brown University Providence RI 6 No
5622 Bryant University Smithfield RI 13 No
2236 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr PA 14 No

131 California Baptist University Riverside CA 20 No

4893 California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo CA 7 No
142 California State University-Chico Chico CA 9 No
5010 California State University-Long Beach Long Beach CA 8 Yes
230 California State University-Northridge Northridge CA 7 Yes
4851 California State University-San Marcos San Marcos CA 7 No
1327 Carleton College Northfield MN 14 Yes
606 Carthage College Kenosha WI 23 Yes
1938 Catawba College Salisbury NC 11 Yes
416 Catholic University of America Washington DC 4 No
1745 Cazenovia College Cazenovia NY 11 Yes
2054 Central State University Wilberforce OH 34 Yes
141 Chapman University Orange CA 23 Yes
2240 Chatham University Pittsburgh PA 13 Yes
2322 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney PA 34 No
1941 Chowan University Murfreesboro NC 20 Yes
2523 Christian Brothers University Memphis TN 18 No
2435 Citadel Military College of South Carolina Charleston SC 9 Yes
507 Clark Atlanta University Atlanta GA 41 Yes
1151 Clark University Worcester MA 5 Yes

77
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

1044 Colby College Waterville ME 14 Yes

1752 College of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx NY 16 No
1152 College of the Holy Cross Worcester MA 18 Yes
7402 Colorado Christian University Lakewood CO 22 Yes
319 Colorado College Colorado Springs CO 14 Yes
321 Colorado School of Mines Golden CO 3 No
318 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins CO 2 No
359 Connecticut College New London CT 14 No
1763 Cornell University Ithaca NY 6 No
5821 Covenant College Lookout Mountain GA 23 No
1573 Creighton University Omaha NE 18 Yes
6430 CUNY Lehman College Bronx NY 8 Yes
7254 CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn NY 7 No

6166 Dalton State College Dalton GA 7 No

2244 Delaware Valley College Doylestown PA 12 Yes
5882 DeSales University Center Valley PA 17 No
2247 Dickinson College Carlisle PA 14 Yes
1005 Dillard University New Orleans LA 38 No
687 Dominican University River Forest IL 17 Yes
1943 Duke University Durham NC 6 No

753 Earlham College Richmond IN 23 Yes

2845 Eastern Washington University Cheney WA 7 No
464 Eckerd College Saint Petersburg FL 23 Yes
5105 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach Daytona Beach FL 13 No
1158 Emmanuel College Boston MA 17 Yes
2787 Emory & Henry College Emory VA 20 Yes
511 Emory University Atlanta GA 6 Yes

362 Fairfield University Fairfield CT 18 Yes

6529 Fairleigh Dickinson University-College at Florham Madison NJ 12 Yes
2788 Ferrum College Ferrum VA 20 No
463 Florida State University Tallahassee FL 2 Yes
1773 Fordham University Bronx NY 5 Yes
5414 Franklin Pierce University Rindge NH 11 Yes
897 Friends University Wichita KS 12 Yes
2446 Furman University Greenville SC 14 Yes

961 Georgetown College Georgetown KY 23 Yes

421 Georgetown University Washington DC 6 No
515 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta GA 3 Yes
519 Georgia Southern University Statesboro GA 2 No
2263 Gettysburg College Gettysburg PA 14 Yes
5199 Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake IN 21 Yes
1006 Grambling State University Grambling LA 34 Yes
641 Greenville College Greenville IL 21 No
834 Grinnell College Grinnell IA 14 Yes
1953 Guilford College Greensboro NC 22 Yes
1338 Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter MN 23 Yes

1776 Hamilton College Clinton NY 14 No

7022 Hampshire College Amherst MA 14 No
9107 Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg PA 11 No
1777 Hartwick College Oneonta NY 13 Yes
180 Harvey Mudd College Claremont CA 14 Yes

78
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

2267 Haverford College Haverford PA 14 Yes

2072 Hiram College Hiram OH 12 Yes
1755 Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva NY 14 Yes
2794 Hollins University Roanoke VA 13 Yes
152 Holy Names University Oakland CA 16 Yes
424 Howard University Washington DC 41 Yes
8 Huntingdon College Montgomery AL 20 Yes
762 Huntington University Huntington IN 22 No

642 Illinois College Jacksonville IL 22 Yes

7813 Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture Santa Fe NM 7 Yes
1785 Iona College New Rochelle NY 16 Yes

91 John Brown University Siloam Springs AR 14 Yes

1956 Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte NC 35 Yes
2272 Juniata College Huntingdon PA 13 No

1272 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo MI 14 Yes

1617 Keene State College Keene NH 8 Yes
652 Knox College Galesburg IL 14 Yes

523 LaGrange College Lagrange GA 21 Yes

653 Lake Forest College Lake Forest IL 14 No
2947 Lawrence University Appleton WI 14 Yes
1794 Le Moyne College Syracuse NY 17 Yes
2277 Lebanon Valley College Annville PA 22 Yes
2194 Lewis & Clark College Portland OR 14 Yes
7448 LIM College New York NY 11 Yes
2539 Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate TN 13 Yes
2279 Lincoln University of Pennsylvania Lincoln University PA 34 Yes
2195 Linfield College-McMinnville Campus McMinnville OR 23 No
2796 Longwood University Farmville VA 8 No
1961 Louisburg College Lousiburg NC 31 No
657 Loyola University Chicago Chicago IL 5 Yes
1086 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore MD 18 Yes
841 Luther College Decorah IA 23 Yes
2283 Lycoming College Williamsport PA 22 Yes

1344 Macalester College Saint Paul MN 23 Yes

769 Manchester University North Manchester IN 21 No
1796 Manhattan College Riverdale NY 18 Yes
2801 Mary Baldwin College Staunton VA 20 No
1275 Marygrove College Detroit MI 16 Yes
2543 Maryville College Maryville TN 23 Yes
1496 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis MO 4 Yes
1963 Meredith College Raleigh NC 12 Yes
2290 Messiah College Mechanicsburg PA 23 Yes
1278 Michigan Technological University Houghton MI 3 No
2633 Midwestern State University Wichita Falls TX 8 Yes
199 Mills College Oakland CA 13 Yes
1412 Millsaps College Jackson MS 23 Yes
2289 Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary Bethlehem PA 22 Yes
5796 Morehouse College Atlanta GA 35 Yes
1094 Morgan State University Baltimore MD 40 No
844 Morningside College Sioux City IA 23 Yes
1096 Mount St. Mary’s University Emmitsburg MD 17 Yes

79
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

203 Mount St. Mary’s College Los Angeles CA 16 Yes

6542 Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon OH 22 Yes
2293 Muhlenberg College Allentown PA 23 Yes

471 New College of Florida Sarasota FL 9 Yes

1927 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro NC 40 No
1965 North Carolina Central University Durham NC 34 Yes
674 North Central College Naperville IL 23 No
2157 Northeastern State University Tahlequah OK 7 Yes
1184 Northeastern University Boston MA 6 Yes

1286 Oakland University Rochester Hills MI 1 Yes

2084 Oberlin College Oberlin OH 14 No
207 Occidental College Los Angeles CA 14 Yes
531 Oglethorpe University Atlanta GA 13 No
2163 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City OK 23 Yes
5566 Oklahoma Wesleyan University Bartlesville OK 21 Yes
2802 Old Dominion University Norfolk VA 1 No
4892 Oxford College of Emory University Oxford GA 26 No

214 Pacific Union College Angwin CA 21 No

9106 Patrick Henry College Purcellville VA 21 Yes
5890 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport PA 7 Yes
218 Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego CA 23 No
2210 Portland State University Portland OR 1 No
1827 Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn NY 13 No
683 Principia College Elsah IL 13 Yes
2409 Providence College Providence RI 18 Yes

373 Quinnipiac University Hamden CT 13 Yes

2805 Randolph College Lynchburg VA 22 Yes

2209 Reed College Portland OR 14 No
1187 Regis College Weston MA 16 Yes
2413 Rhode Island School of Design Providence RI 14 Yes
2554 Rhodes College Memphis TN 23 No
2969 Ripon College Ripon WI 13 Yes
685 Rockford University Rockford IL 12 Yes
468 Rollins College Winter Park FL 13 No
2309 Rosemont College Rosemont PA 16 Yes
1672 Rutgers University-Camden Camden NJ 9 No
1668 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick NJ 3 No
1673 Rutgers University-Newark Newark NJ 1 No

5082 Sacred Heart University Fairfield CT 18 No

976 Saint Catharine College Saint Catharine KY 14 No
2313 Saint Francis University Loretto PA 17 Yes
2314 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia PA 18 Yes
781 Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame IN 18 Yes
227 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga CA 18 Yes
2974 Saint Norbert College De Pere WI 18 Yes
1675 Saint Peter’s University Jersey City NJ 16 Yes
248 San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco CA 13 Yes
236 San Francisco State University San Francisco CA 8 No
267 Santa Clara University Santa Clara CA 18 Yes
535 Savannah State University Savannah GA 34 No

80
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

693 School of the Art Institute of Chicago Chicago IL 13 Yes

2857 Seattle Pacific University Seattle WA 23 Yes
2858 Seattle University Seattle WA 18 No
1676 Seton Hall University South Orange NJ 4 Yes
2564 Sewanee-The University of the South Sewanee TN 23 No
1836 Siena College Loudonville NY 18 No
2944 Silver Lake College of the Holy Family Manitowoc WI 16 Yes
1188 Simmons College Boston MA 13 Yes
1189 Smith College Northampton MA 14 No
170 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park CA 8 No
2553 Southern Adventist University Collegedale TN 21 No
2657 Southern Methodist University Dallas TX 5 No
2664 Southwestern University Georgetown TX 23 Yes
502 Spelman College Atlanta GA 35 No
1846 St. Lawrence University Canton NY 14 Yes
5398 St. Louis College of Pharmacy St. Louis MO 11 Yes
1949 St. Andrews University Laurinburg NC 20 Yes
2648 St. Mary’s University San Antonio TX 17 Yes
5498 St. Thomas Aquinas College Sparkill NY 11 Yes
473 Stetson University DeLand FL 13 Yes
1110 Stevenson University Stevenson MD 11 Yes
25 Stillman College Tuscaloosa AL 38 No
1204 Suffolk University Boston MA 12 Yes
7028 SUNY at Purchase College Purchase NY 9 No
4894 SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica-Rome Utica NY 9 Yes
2336 Swarthmore College Swarthmore PA 14 No

2675 Texas Christian University Fort Worth TX 5 No

2063 The College of Wooster Wooster OH 14 Yes
476 The University of Tampa Tampa FL 12 Yes
2692 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso TX 1 No
7256 Touro College New York NY 12 No
379 Trinity College Hartford CT 14 No
2685 Trinity University San Antonio TX 23 Yes
435 Trinity Washington University Washington DC 16 No
24 Troy University Troy AL 8 No
1024 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans LA 6 Yes

341 United States Air Force Academy USAFA CO 9 Yes

380 United States Coast Guard Academy New London CT 9 Yes
1893 United States Military Academy West Point NY 9 Yes
48 University of Alaska-Fairbanks Fairbanks AK 1 No
76 University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff AR 34 Yes
382 University of Bridgeport Bridgeport CT 11 Yes
257 University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles CA 3 Yes
262 University of California-Riverside Riverside CA 1 No
260 University of California-San Diego La Jolla CA 3 Yes
259 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara CA 3 No
1456 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg MO 8 No
1276 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit MI 18 Yes
567 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu HI 1 Yes
9109 University of Hawaii-West Oahu Kapolei HI 7 Yes
584 University of Idaho Moscow ID 1 Yes
704 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign IL 3 No
6086 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore MD 2 Yes
1207 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst MA 2 Yes

81
 Institutions Participating in the 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey

Stratification Included in
ACE Institution City State Cell National Norms

5773 University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth MA 9 No

1294 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor MI 3 Yes
6400 University of Michigan-Flint Flint MI 9 No
1984 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC 3 Yes
2031 University of North Dakota Grand Forks ND 1 Yes
322 University of Northern Colorado Greeley CO 1 Yes
785 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN 6 Yes
2212 University of Oregon Eugene OR 2 No
2341 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA 6 No
6232 University of Pittsburgh-Bradford Bradford PA 8 Yes
2342 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh PA 2 Yes
2844 University of Puget Sound Tacoma WA 14 Yes
265 University of Redlands Redlands CA 13 Yes
1889 University of Rochester Rochester NY 5 Yes
374 University of Saint Joseph West Hartford CT 17 Yes
2458 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia SC 3 No
9119 University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Sarasota FL 9 Yes
268 University of Southern California Los Angeles CA 6 No
157 University of the Pacific Stockton CA 4 Yes
2104 University of Toledo Toledo OH 1 No
2764 University of Vermont Burlington VT 2 Yes

787 Valparaiso University Valparaiso IN 23 Yes

2567 Vanderbilt University Nashville TN 6 Yes
5053 Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa CA 20 No
1891 Vassar College Poughkeepsie NY 14 Yes
5517 Villa Maria College Buffalo NY 16 Yes
2347 Villanova University Villanova PA 18 Yes
2828 Virginia Union University Richmond VA 38 No
2459 Voorhees College Denmark SC 38 No

789 Wabash College Crawfordsville IN 13 Yes

5562 Walsh University North Canton OH 17 Yes
2214 Warner Pacific College Portland OR 20 Yes
1988 Warren Wilson College Swannanoa NC 13 Yes
2829 Washington and Lee University Lexington VA 14 No
7023 Wayne County Community College District Detroit MI 26 No
1588 Wayne State College Wayne NE 8 No
1295 Wayne State University Detroit MI 1 Yes
1895 Wells College Aurora NY 12 Yes
384 Wesleyan University Middletown CT 14 Yes
5035 Western New England University Springfield MA 12 Yes
2352 Westminster College New Wilmington PA 22 Yes
707 Wheaton College Wheaton IL 23 No
2867 Whitman College Walla Walla WA 14 Yes
2297 Widener University-Main Campus Chester PA 4 No
2354 Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre PA 12 Yes
2215 Willamette University Salem OR 14 Yes
2355 Wilson College Chambersburg PA 20 Yes
1992 Wingate University Wingate NC 12 Yes
1993 Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem NC 34 Yes

1026 Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans LA 39 Yes

2359 York College Pennsylvania York PA 13 No

82
 APPENDIX D

The Precision of the Normative Data

and Their Comparisons
THE PRECISION OF THE NORMATIVE DATA
AND THEIR COMPARISONS

A common question asked about sample surveys about 90 percent), comparability is reduced
relates to the precision of the data, which is typi- by non-repeat participation and year-to-year
cally reported as the accuracy of a percentage variation in the quality of data collected by
“plus or minus x percentage points.” This figure, continuing institutional participants. While
which is known as a confidence interval, can be the CIRP stratification and weighting
estimated for items of interest if one knows the ­procedures are designed to minimize this
response percentage and its standard error. institutional form of “response bias,” an
unknown amount of non-random variation
Given the CIRP’s large normative sample, the
is introduced into the results.
calculated standard error associated with any
particular response percentage will be small (as 2) The wording of some questions in the survey
will its confidence interval). It is important to instrument, the text and number of response
note, however, that traditional methods of calcu- options, and their order of presentation have
lating standard error assume conditions which, changed over the years. We have found that
(as is the case with most real sample survey even small changes can produce large order
data), do not apply here. Moreover, there are and context effects. Given this, the exact
other possible sources of error which should be wording and order of items on the survey
considered in comparing data across normative instrument (see Appendix B) should be
groups, across related item categories, and over examined carefully prior to making compari-
time. In reference to the precision of the CIRP sons across survey years.
data, these concerns include:
3) Substantial changes in the institutional strati-
1) Traditional methods of calculating standard fication scheme were made in 1968, 1971,
error assume that the individuals were 1975, 2001, and 2009. These changes
selected through simple random sampling. resulted in a revision of the weights applied
Given the complex stratified design of the to individual institutions. Stratification cell
CIRP, where whole institutions participate, assignments of a few institutions may also
it is likely that the actual standard errors will change from time to time, but the scale of
be somewhat larger than the standard error these changes and their effect on the national
estimates produced through traditional normative results are likely to be small in
computational methods. In addition, while comparison to other sources of bias.
every effort has been made to maximize the
Since it is impractical to report statistical indi­
comparability of the institutional sample
cators for every percentage in every CIRP
from year to year (repeat participation runs
comparison group, it is important for those who

85
 are interested to be able to estimate the precision To calculate the confidence interval at the 95%
of the data. Toward this end, Table D1 provides probability level, we multiply the estimated
estimates of standard errors for comparison ­standard error by the critical value of t for the
groups of various sizes and for different percent- unweighted sample size (which, for all CIRP
ages1 which can be used to derive confidence comparison groups, will be equal to 1.96 at the
interval estimates. .05 level of probability).3 In this example, we
would multiply the estimated standard error of
For example, suppose the item we are interested
.252 by 1.96, which yields .494. If we round
in has a response percentage of 15.7 percent
this figure to a single decimal point we would
among students at all nonsectarian four-year
then estimate our confidence interval to be
colleges (a normative group that is 28,272 in
15.7 ± .5. In practical terms, this confidence
size). First, we choose the column that is closest
interval means that if we were to replicate this
to the observed percentage 15.7—in this case
survey using the same size sample, we would
“15%”.2 Next, we select the row closest to the
expect that the resulting percentage would fall
unweighted sample size of 28,272—in this case
between 15.2 percent and 16.1 percent 95 times
“20,000.” Consulting Table D1, we find the esti-
out of 100.
mated standard error would be .252.

Table D1. Estimated Standard Errors of Percentages for Comparison Groups of Various Sizes

Percentage
Unweighted size of
comparison groups 1% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
500 .445 .975 1.342 1.597 1.789 1.936 2.049 2.133 2.191 2.225 2.236
1,000 .315 .689 .949 1.129 1.265 1.369 1.449 1.508 1.549 1.573 1.581
5,000 .141 .308 .424 .505 .566 .612 .648 .675 .693 .704 .707
10,000 .099 .218 .300 .357 .400 .433 .458 .477 .490 .497 .500
20,000 .070 .154 .212 .252 .283 .306 .324 .337 .346 .352 .354
40,000 .050 .109 .150 .179 .200 .217 .229 .238 .245 .249 .250
55,000 .042 .093 .128 .152 .171 .185 .195 .203 .209 .212 .213
70,000 .038 .082 .113 .135 .151 .164 .173 .180 .185 .188 .189
90,000 .033 .073 .100 .119 .133 .144 .153 .159 .163 .166 .167
110,000 .030 .066 .090 .108 .121 .131 .138 .144 .148 .150 .151
130,000 .028 .060 .083 .099 .111 .120 .127 .132 .136 .138 .139
240,000 .020 .044 .061 .073 .082 .088 .094 .097 .100 .102 .102
Note: Assumes simple random sampling.

N √
 Calculated by x%(100–x%) where x is the percentage of interest and N is the population count from Table A1.

2
 Since the distribution of the standard errors is symmetrical around the 50 percent mid-point, for percentages over 50
simply subtract the percentage from 100 and use the result to select the appropriate column. For example, if the percentage
we were interested in was 59, 100 – 59 percent yields 41, so we would use the column labeled ‘40%.’
3
 To calculate the confidence interval at the 99% probability level the critical t value is 2.56.

86
ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Kevin Eagan is an Assistant Professor in Residence and the Director of the Cooperative Institutional
Research Program (CIRP). He is also the Managing Director of the Higher Education Research
Institute (HERI), where the CIRP surveys are administered. His research interests include issues
related to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education,
contingent faculty, student retention, institutional contexts and structures of opportunity, survey
validity and reliability, and advanced quantitative methods.

Ellen Bara Stolzenberg is the Assistant Director for the Cooperative Institutional Research Program
(CIRP) at the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Dr. Stolzenberg’s responsibilities
within HERI include helping institutions use CIRP data in their long-term assessment plans and the
accreditation process; representing CIRP as a presenter and exhibitor at national and regional confer-
ences; and contributing to monographs, infographics, and research briefs summarizing the findings
from surveys and highlighting key issues in higher education. Her research interests include students
in transition, disciplinary culture, student-faculty interaction, and graduate education.

Abigail K. Bates is a doctoral student in the Higher Education and Organization Change program at
UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and an analyst for the Cooperative
Institutional Research Program. Her research interests include issues related to college readiness,
college access, and K–12 and higher education pipeline policy. Previously, she has held positions as a
secondary school social studies teacher as well as a school counselor.

Melissa C. Aragon is a Senior Survey Analyst at HERI. Her responsibilities include assisting the
Managing Director in overseeing survey administration processes, survey project management, and
publication production.

Maria Suchard is the Senior Data Manager at HERI. Her responsibilities include developing and
maintaining the HERI research databases; computing the National Norm tables; and producing
­institutional reports and other specialized reports for analysis of CIRP data.

Cecilia Rios-Aguilar is an Associate Professor of Education and the Director of the Higher Educa-
tion Research Institute in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA.
Dr. Rios-Aguilar’s research is multidisciplinary and uses a variety of conceptual frameworks—funds
of knowledge and the forms of capital—and of statistical approaches—regression analysis, multilevel
models, structural equation modeling, GIS, and social network analysis—to study the educational and
occupational trajectories of underrepresented minorities. Dr. Rios-Aguilar’s research interests include
quantitative research methods, big data, social media, community colleges, and educational policies.
She currently serves on the editorial board of the Community College Review.

87
 PUBLICATIONS

Completing College: Advancing in Higher Education:

Assessing Graduation Rates at Four-Year A Portrait of Latina/o College Freshmen
Institutions at Four-Year Institutions, 1975–2006
November, 2011/55 pages October, 2008/90 pages
Provides latest information on four-, five-, and six-year The purpose of this report is to provide a portrait of Latina/o
degree attainment rates collected longitudinally from students entering four-year colleges and universities from
356 baccalaureate-granting institutions. Differences by institu- 1975–2006. It is intended as a data resource for higher educa-
tional type, gender, first-generation status and race/ethnicity tion in understanding the unique characteristics of the
are examined. The study highlights main predictors of degree increasing numbers of Latina/o first-time, full-time freshmen.
completion and provides several formulas for calculating The national data come from the Cooperative Institutional
expected institutional completion rates. Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey. For the first time,
CIRP trends are disaggregated by specific Latina/o ethnic
The American Freshman: origin group and by gender, to highlight the heterogeneity in
National Norms for Fall 2015* the population unavailable in other national reports on
Hispanic college students.
2015/87 pages
E-book with expanded tables/199 pages
Provides national normative data on the characteristics of Beyond Myths: The Growth and Diversity
students attending American colleges and universities as first- of Asian American College Freshmen: 1971–2005
time, full-time freshmen. In 2015, data from 141,189 September, 2007/63 pages
entering first-year students are statistically adjusted to reflect The first-year student trends examined in this report help to
the 1.5 million students entering college. The annual report address some common characterizations of Asian American
covers: demographic characteristics; expectations of college; students, particularly with respect to their educational success,
degree goals and career plans; college finances; and attitudes, that are often overstated and taken out of context. The find-
values and life goals. ings suggest that Asian Americans still have to overcome a
*Note: Publications from earlier years are also available. number of obstacles, such as levels of family income and
financial aid, to earn a coveted spot in higher education. This
report features data collected from Cooperative Institutional
The American Freshman: Forty Year Trends Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey. It is based on the
March, 2006/261 pages 361,271 Asian/Asian American first-time full-time college
Summarizes trends data in the Cooperative Institutional students from 1971–2005, representing the largest compila-
Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey between 1966 tion and analysis of data on Asian American college students
and 2006. The report examines changes in the diversity of ever undertaken.
students entering college; parental income and students’
­financial concerns; and issues of access and affordability in
college. Trends in students’ political and social attitudes are First in My Family:
also covered. A Profile of First-Generation College Students
at Four-Year Institutions Since 1971
February, 2007/62 pages
Undergraduate Teaching Faculty: First-generation college students are receiving increasing
The 2013–2014 HERI Faculty Survey* ­attention from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers
November, 2014/111 pages with the aim of better understanding their college decision-
E-book with expanded tables/199 pages making process and supporting their progress in higher
Provides an informative profile of teaching faculty at American education. This report explores the changing dynamic
colleges and universities. The 2013–2014 norms covers several between first-generation college students and their non first-
areas: Faculty’s Online Teaching, Trends in Student-Centered generation peers by utilizing longitudinal trends data collected
Pedagogy, and Perceptions of Campus Climate. Additionally, through the CIRP Freshman Survey (1971–2005).
the report includes a section devoted to examining the
­experiences and perceptions of part-time faculty. Results are
reported by institutional type for all faculty, male faculty, and Black Undergraduates From Bakke to Grutter
female faculty. November, 2005/41 pages
*Note: Publications from earlier years are also available: 2010–2011, Summarizes the status, trends and prospects of Black college
2004–2005, 2001–2002, 1998–1999, 1995–1996, 1992–1993. freshmen using data collected from 1971 to 2004 through the
Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). Based on
more than half a million Black freshman students, the report
examines gender differences; socioeconomic status; academic
preparation and aspirations; and civic engagement.

To download reports visit the HERI publications webpage: www.heri.ucla.edu/research-publications.php

HERI Publications List (Rev 1/2016)