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