More than a third of first-time college students expected their families to contribute $10,000 or more to help pay for their first year in college, while more than 80 percent expected their own contribution to be less than $3,000. Just over half said there was a “very good chance” that they would get a job to help pay for college expenses, and more than 80 percent said being “very well off” was an essential or very important objective. Students were asked about their sexual orientation for the first time in the 51-year history of the survey on the American freshman. A higher percentage identified as bisexual than as gay, lesbian, or queer.
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Who they are
Race and ethnicity (more than one identification allowed)
| African-American/black | 13.0% |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 2.0% |
| Filipino/East, South, Southeast, or other Asian | 13.4% |
| Mexican-American/Chicano/Puerto Rican/Other Latino | 19.3% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 1.0% |
| White/Caucasian | 66.9% |
| Other | 2.5% |
Family educational background
| First parent has college degree | 59.1% |
| Second parent has college degree | 55.7% |
| Students who are first generation to attend college | 18.8% |
Most-common occupations for first parents
| Business manager/executive | 6.1% |
| Engineer | 5.3% |
| Business owner/entrepreneur | 5.0% |
| Homemaker/stay-at-home parent | 5.0% |
| Sales/marketing | 4.1% |
Most-common occupations for second parents
| Homemaker/stay-at-home parent | 12.0% |
| Skilled trades (e.g., plumber, electrician, construction) | 4.7% |
| Business manager/executive | 4.0% |
| Business owner/entrepreneur | 3.7% |
| Elementary-school teacher | 3.3% |
| Registered nurse | 3.3% |
| Sales/marketing | 3.3% |
Best estimate of parents’ total income in previous year
| Less than $25,000 | 11.9% |
| $25,000 to $59,999 | 19.4% |
| $60,000 to $99,999 | 22.4% |
| $100,000 to $199,999 | 29.7% |
| $200,000 or more | 16.7% |
Students’ political views
| Far left | 4.2% |
| Liberal | 31.3% |
| Middle of the road | 42.3% |
| Conservative | 20.2% |
| Far right | 2.0% |
Sexual orientation or identity
| Heterosexual/straight | 91.8% |
| Gay | 1.3% |
| Lesbian | 0.7% |
| Bisexual | 4.2% |
| Queer | 0.6% |
| Other | 1.6% |
| Transgender | 0.4% |
Religious preference (top choices)
| Roman Catholic | 23.4% |
| None | 16.0% |
| Agnostic | 8.5% |
| Baptist | 8.4% |
| Atheist | 6.4% |
How prepared they are
Average grade in high school
| A | 55.1% |
| B | 42.3% |
| C | 2.6% |
| D | 0.0% |
Number of Advanced Placement courses taken in high school
| Not offered at my high school | 6.4% |
| None | 17.6% |
| 1 to 4 | 45.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 25.7% |
| 10 to 14 | 4.6% |
| 15 or more | 0.4% |
Most-common activities on which they spent more than 10 hours a week during the last year of high school
| Socializing with friends | 32.4% |
| Exercise or sports | 31.0% |
| Working (for pay) | 28.6% |
| Studying/homework | 22.6% |
| Online social networks (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) | 21.6% |
How they picked a college
Number of colleges applied to, in addition to the one where enrolled
| None | 10.8% |
| 1 to 5 | 53.9% |
| 6 to 10 | 28.3% |
| 11 or more | 7.0% |
Accepted by first-choice college
Preference status of college where enrolled
| 1st choice | 56.8% |
| 2nd choice | 26.9% |
| 3rd choice | 10.2% |
| Below 3rd choice | 6.1% |
Distance from college to permanent home
| 10 or less | 13.0% |
| 11 to 50 | 24.9% |
| 51 to 100 | 15.1% |
| 101 to 500 | 29.7% |
| Over 500 | 17.3% |
Top reasons deemed “very important” in deciding to go to college
| To be able to get a better job | 84.8% |
| To learn more about things that interest me | 83.8% |
| To get training for a specific career | 77.9% |
| To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas | 75.4% |
| To be able to make more money | 72.6% |
Top reasons deemed “very important” for choosing this particular college
| Very good academic reputation | 64.6% |
| College’s graduates get good jobs | 54.9% |
| Good reputation for social and extracurricular activities | 50.8% |
| Cost of attendance | 47.2% |
| A visit to the campus | 46.7% |
| Offer of financial assistance | 46.6% |
Financial aid received
| Merit-based grants or scholarships | 54.1% |
| Need-based grants or scholarships | 36.8% |
| Pell Grant | 28.4% |
| Work-study | 19.7% |
| Military grants | 4.5% |
Expectations for college and the future
Planned living arrangements for fall term
| With my family or other relatives | 18.5% |
| Other private home, apartment, or room | 3.0% |
| College residence hall | 74.8% |
| Fraternity or sorority house | 0.8% |
| Other campus student housing | 2.5% |
| Other | 0.3% |
Intended major, by broad field, and professional-school aspirations
| Arts and humanities | 10.7% |
| Biological and life sciences | 15.7% |
| Business | 13.8% |
| Education | 4.6% |
| Engineering | 10.7% |
| Health professions | 11.3% |
| Math and computer science | 5.8% |
| Physical science | 2.7% |
| Social science | 10.7% |
| Other majors | 5.1% |
| Undecided | 8.6% |
| Pre-med | 20.5% |
| Pre-law | 6.7% |
Expected resources to pay first year’s educational expenses (room, board, tuition, and fees)
Family resources (parents, relatives, spouse, etc.)
| Less than $3,000 | 45.1% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 20.7% |
| $10,000 or more | 34.2% |
My own resources (savings from work, work-study, other income)
| Less than $3,000 | 82.2% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 14.3% |
| $10,000 or more | 3.5% |
Aid that need not be repaid (grants, scholarships, military funds, etc.)
| Less than $3,000 | 43.7% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 23.1% |
| $10,000 or more | 33.3% |
Aid that must be repaid (loans, etc.)
| Less than $3,000 | 62.4% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 24.4% |
| $10,000 or more | 13.2% |
Level of concern about ability to pay for college
| None | 30.9% |
| Some | 55.9% |
| Major | 13.3% |
Highest academic degree planned
| None | 0.5% |
| Vocational certificate | 0.1% |
| Associate (A.A. or equivalent) | 0.6% |
| Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) | 23.0% |
| Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) | 41.0% |
| J.D. (law) | 4.1% |
| M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. (medical) | 11.5% |
| Ph.D. | 12.9% |
| Professional doctorate (Ed.D., Psy.D., etc.) | 5.7% |
| Other | 0.7% |
Top activities that students estimate they have a “very good chance” of doing in college
| Vote in a local, state, or national election | 61.9% |
| Get a job to help pay for college expenses | 50.4% |
| Participate in student clubs/groups | 50.4% |
| Communicate regularly with professors | 47.8% |
| Participate in volunteer or community-service work | 36.1% |
Top objectives considered “essential” or “very important”
| Being very well off financially | 82.3% |
| Helping others who are in difficulty | 77.5% |
| Raising a family | 71.7% |
| Improving my understanding of other countries and cultures | 59.3% |
| Becoming an authority in my field | 58.7% |
Notes: Survey results are based on responses from more than 137,000 first-time, full-time students entering 184 American four-year colleges and universities in 2016. Results are statistically weighted to represent the entire group of entering freshmen. Surveys were administered during registration, freshman orientation, or the first few weeks of classes. Percentages may not add up to 100 because of rounding or because more than one choice was allowed. Race/ethnicity percentages exceed 100 because students were told to choose all that apply. In rankings of top choices only, categories identified as “Other” were excluded. “First-generation” college students are defined as those who report that neither parent has attended a postsecondary institution. More data are at heri.ucla.edu/heri-data-archive/
Source: “The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2016.” Higher Education Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles