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A Profile of Freshmen at 4-Year Colleges, Fall 2011

August 26, 2012

Nearly half of new freshmen put their parents’ income at less than $75,000 a year. Most nevertheless plan to be in college for more than four years, in hopes of increasing their own earning power. Less than a quarter expect a bachelor’s degree to be the highest degree they will receive. A third have set their sights on earning a doctoral or professional degree.

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A Profile of Freshmen at 4-Year Colleges, Fall 2011

WHO THEY ARE
Race and ethnicity*
White	70.2%
African-American	12.1%
Asian-American/Asian	9.8%
Mexican-American	7.0%
Puerto Rican	1.5%
Other Latino	5.4%
American Indian/Alaska Native	2.7%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1.2%
Other	3.6%
First generation in college
Yes	19.7%
No	80.3%
Parents’ education level (college degree or higher)
Father	54.2%
Mother	56.8%
Current religious preference
Roman Catholic	26.0%
None	24.5%
Baptist	9.3%
Church of Christ	5.5%
Methodist	3.8%
Lutheran	3.2%
Presbyterian	2.9%
Jewish	2.6%
Episcopalian	1.4%
Buddhist	1.3%
Muslim	1.1%
Hindu	0.8%
United Church of Christ/Congregational	0.8%
Eastern Orthodox	0.7%
Seventh-day Adventist	0.4%
Mormon	0.3%
Quaker	0.2%
Other Christian	12.4%
Other religion	2.8%
Best estimate of parents’ income
Less than $25,000	14.7%
$25,000 to $49,999	16.4%
$50,000 to $74,999	18.0%
$75,000 to $99,999	12.9%
$100,000 to $149,999	17.1%
$150,000 to $199,999	8.2%
$200,000 or more	12.6%
WHAT THEY THINK
Political views
Far left	2.7%
Liberal	27.6%
Middle of the road	47.4%
Conservative	20.7%
Far right	1.6%
Agree strongly or somewhat with these statements
Abortion should be legal	60.7%
Marijuana should be legal	49.1%
Racial discrimination is no longer a major problem in America	24.5%
Same-sex couples should have the legal right to adopt a child	71.3%
Federal military spending should be increased	30.5%
Undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education	43.0%
Students from disadvantaged social backgrounds should be given preferential treatment in college admissions	42.1%
A national health-care plan is needed to cover everybody’s medical costs	60.5%
Addressing global warming should be a federal priority	63.2%
WHAT THEY HOPE TO ACHIEVE
Highest degree planned
None	1.0%
Vocational certificate	0.1%
Associate	0.4%
Bachelor’s	21.4%
Master’s	42.0%
Ph.D. or Ed.D.	19.1%
M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M.	10.2%
J.D.	4.2%
B.D. or M.Div.	0.2%
Other	1.3%
Probable field of study/major
Professional	14.9%
Business	14.9%
Social science	12.1%
Engineering	12.0%
Arts and humanities	11.0%
Biological science	10.9%
Education	5.9%
Physical science	3.7%
Technical	1.0%
Other fields	7.2%
Undecided	6.4%
Agree strongly or somewhat
The chief benefit of a college education is that it increases one’s earning power	72.3%
Reasons, listed as very important, for attending college
Get a better job	85.9%
Learn more about things of interest	82.9%
Train for a specific career	77.6%
Gain a general education and appreciation of ideas	72.4%
Make more money	71.7%
Prepare for graduate or professional school	61.4%
Become a more cultured person	50.3%

* Proportions of racial and ethnic groups add up to more than 100 percent because respondents were told to mark all that applied.
Note: Data are based on responses to an annual survey by 203,967 full-time, first-time freshmen entering 270 baccalaureate institutions and are weighted to provide a normative profile of such students. Because of rounding, figures in some categories may not add up to 100 percent.

Source: “The American Freshman: National Norms, Fall 2011,” U. of California at Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute