AAC&U News | December 01 | Facts & Figures

Who Are Today's Students?

Today's students balance different priorities and responsibilities and are almost equally divided in political orientation. Many flock to tailor-made educational opportunities. Although the profile is changing and includes much diversity, the majority of today's college students are enrolled in 4-year institutions. The future of the college population will increase dramatically in overall numbers in the coming years and promises to be much more diverse in many ways. Of the expected increase of 2.6 million students qualified to attend colleges between 1995 and 2015, 80% will be from racial minorities.

FINDINGS

Top three countries of origin of foreign students:
China 54,466
Japan 46,872
India 42,337

Among students entering 4-year colleges in Fall 2000

Racial and ethnic background:

White (76.1%); African-American (10.4%); Asian-American (7.1%); Mexican-American/Chicano (3.8%); Other Latino (2.2%); American-Indian (1.9%); Puerto Rican (1.0%); Other (3.6%)

Student Attitudes and Activities:

The top three ranked activities in the past year:
studied with other students 87.4%
attended a religious service 82.8%
performed volunteer work 81.0%

The top three reasons noted as very important in deciding to attend college:
"to learn more about things that interest me" 76.6%
"to get training for a specific career" 71.8%
"to be able to get a better job" 71.6%

The top three categories of Highest Academic Degree Planned:
Master's 46.6%
Ph.D. or Ed.D.18.7%
Bachelor's 12.2%

Top three objectives considered to be essential:
being very well-off financially 73.4%
raising a family 73.1%
helping others who are in difficulty 61.7%

Political Orientation (self-reported)
Far left: 2.9%
Liberal 24.8%
Middle of the Road: 51.9%
Conservative: 18.9%
Far Right: 1.4%

Concern about financing college:
none 36.3%
some 51.6%
major 12.1%

DID YOU KNOW?

Undergraduate enrollment remains robust and is projected to increase. Five factors drive rising enrollments: a spike in births between 1982 & 1996; immigration; pressure on older workers to add skills; better academic preparation by high school students; and changing characteristics of the American family (such as fewer children per household, better educated parents, and higher family incomes).
Minority students are predicted to make gains in enrollment: African-American, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students will account for 80% of the increase in the undergraduate population by 2015. Minorities will increase their combined share of the undergraduate population from 29.4% to 37.2%.
Older students are projected to account for about 31% of the increased enrollment by 2015.
More than 50% of the overall increase in undergraduate enrollment between 1995 and 2015 will be in five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Arizona. Four of those five states currently have the largest enrollment. Arizona, however, currently ranks 20th in undergraduate enrollment.

For more profiles of today's and tomorrow's students, visit:The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac Issue Vol. XLVIII, No. 1 August 31, 2001
http://chronicle.merit.edu/free/almanac/2001/index.htm

Crossing the Great Divide: Can We Achieve Equity When Generation Y Goes to College? By Anthony P. Carnevale and Richard A. Fry (Educational Testing Service, 2000) PDF download available at: http://www.ets.org.