More than half of freshmen in the fall of 2017 said their belief that graduates got good jobs was a “very important” reason for choosing their particular institution. Being able to get a better job was identified as a very important reason for attending college by nearly 85 percent of freshmen. Biological and life sciences and business were the most popular intended majors for freshmen, with more than a fifth planning to be pre-med. More than 60 percent estimated they had a “very good chance” of voting in a state, local, or national election while in college, and just over 40 percent of freshmen identified their political views as “middle of the road.”
Who they are
| |
| Race and ethnicity (more than one identification allowed) | |
| African-American/black | 14.3% |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1.9% |
| East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese) | 6.0% |
| Filipino | 2.1% |
| Southeast Asian (e.g., Cambodian, Vietnamese, Hmong) | 1.9% |
| South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Sri Lankan) | 3.7% |
| Other Asian | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| Mexican-American/Chicano | 6.9% |
| Puerto Rican | 2.7% |
| Other Latino | 7.0% |
| White/Caucasian | 66.1% |
| Other | 2.2% |
| | |
| Family educational background | |
| Neither parent attended college (first-generation student) | 17.7% |
| Parent/Guardian 1 is college graduate | 61.1% |
| Parent/Guardian 2 is college graduate | 57.4% |
| | |
| Most-common occupations for Parent/Guardian 1 | |
| Business manager/executive | 6.0% |
| Engineer | 5.3% |
| Homemaker/stay-at-home parent | 5.1% |
| Business owner/entrepreneur | 4.9% |
| Skilled trades (e.g. plumber, electrician, construction) | 4.4% |
| | |
| Most-common occupations for Parent/Guardian 2 | |
| Homemaker/stay-at-home parent | 11.4% |
| Skilled trades (e.g. plumber, electrician, construction) | 4.7% |
| Business owner/entrepreneur | 4.0% |
| Business manager/executive | 3.8% |
| Engineer | 3.4% |
| Registered nurse | 3.4% |
| Sales/marketing | 3.4% |
| | |
| Best estimate of parents’ total income in previous year | |
| Less than $25,000 | 11.6% |
| $25,000 to $59,999 | 18.4% |
| $60,000 to $99,999 | 22.0% |
| $100,000 to $199,999 | 30.4% |
| $200,000 or more | 17.5% |
| | |
| Students’ political views | |
| Far left | 4.0% |
| Liberal | 32.2% |
| Middle of the road | 41.4% |
| Conservative | 20.4% |
| Far right | 2.0% |
| | |
| Sexual orientation or gender identity | |
| Heterosexual/straight | 90.7% |
| Gay | 1.2% |
| Lesbian | 0.9% |
| Bisexual | 5.0% |
| Queer | 0.7% |
| Transgender | 0.5% |
| Other | 1.5% |
| | |
| Religious preference | |
| Roman Catholic | 23.5% |
| Baptist | 7.0% |
| Church of Christ | 5.7% |
| Methodist | 2.8% |
| Lutheran | 2.2% |
| Presbyterian | 2.1% |
| Other Christian | 17.0% |
| Jewish | 2.5% |
| Muslim | 2.4% |
| Hindu | 1.6% |
| Buddhist | 1.1% |
| Other religion | 1.9% |
| Agnostic | 8.7% |
| Atheist | 5.9% |
| None | 15.6% |
| | |
| Average grade in high school | |
| A | 57.4% |
| B | 39.6% |
| C | 3.1% |
| | |
| Number of Advanced Placement courses taken in high school | |
| Not offered at my high school | 6.9% |
| None | 17.2% |
| 1 to 4 | 45.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 25.6% |
| 10 to 14 | 4.6% |
| 15 or more | 0.5% |
| | |
| Most-common activities on which they spent more than 10 hours a week during the last year of high school | |
| Socializing with friends | 31.8% |
| Exercise or sports | 31.3% |
| Working (for pay) | 31.2% |
| Using social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) | 29.5% |
| Studying/homework | 23.1% |
What influenced their choice of college
| |
| Number of colleges applied to, in addition to the one where enrolled | |
| None | 10.8% |
| 1 to 5 | 53.1% |
| 6 to 10 | 28.6% |
| 11 or more | 7.4% |
| | |
| Accepted by first-choice college | |
| Yes | 75.8% |
| No | 24.2% |
| | |
| Preference status of college where enrolled | |
| 1st choice | 57.1% |
| 2nd choice | 26.6% |
| 3rd choice | 10.0% |
| Below 3rd choice | 6.2% |
| | |
| Number of miles from college to permanent home | |
| 10 or less | 12.6% |
| 11 to 50 | 29.3% |
| 51 to 100 | 15.3% |
| 101 to 500 | 25.1% |
| Over 500 | 17.6% |
| | |
| Top reasons deemed “very important” in deciding to go to college | |
| To be able to get a better job | 84.9% |
| To learn more about things that interest me | 83.6% |
| To get training for a specific career | 78.0% |
| To gain a general education and appreciation of ideas | 75.9% |
| To be able to make more money | 71.8% |
| | |
| Top reasons deemed “very important” for choosing this particular college | |
| Very good academic reputation | 65.6% |
| College’s graduates get good jobs | 55.7% |
| Good reputation for social and extracurricular activities | 51.1% |
| Offer of financial assistance | 48.7% |
| Cost of attendance | 48.4% |
| | |
| Financial aid received | |
| Merit-based grants or scholarships | 55.4% |
| Need-based grants or scholarships | 37.5% |
| Pell Grant | 28.9% |
| Work-study | 21.6% |
| Military grants | 5.4% |
Expectations for college and the future
| |
| Intended major, by broad field | |
| Arts and humanities | 8.8% |
| Biological and life sciences | 15.5% |
| Business | 13.8% |
| Education | 4.4% |
| Engineering | 11.5% |
| Health professions | 11.7% |
| Math and computer science | 6.2% |
| Physical science | 2.7% |
| Social science | 11.0% |
| Other majors | 5.3% |
| Undecided | 7.8% |
| | |
| Professional-school aspirations | |
| Pre-med | 20.7% |
| Pre-law | 6.6% |
| | |
| Expected resources to pay first year’s educational expenses (room, board, tuition, and fees) | |
| Family resources (parents, relatives, spouse, etc.) | |
| Less than $3,000 | 47.1% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 19.3% |
| $10,000 or more | 33.7% |
| My own resources (savings from work, work-study, other income) | |
| Less than $3,000 | 81.8% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 14.4% |
| $10,000 or more | 3.9% |
| Aid that need not be repaid (grants, scholarships, military funds, etc.) | |
| Less than $3,000 | 42.9% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 21.2% |
| $10,000 or more | 35.8% |
| Aid that must be repaid (loans, etc.) | |
| Less than $3,000 | 61.8% |
| $3,000 to $9,999 | 24.0% |
| $10,000 or more | 14.2% |
| | |
| Level of concern about ability to pay for college | |
| None | 33.9% |
| Some | 54.0% |
| Major | 12.1% |
| | |
| Highest academic degree planned | |
| None | 0.5% |
| Vocational certificate | 0.2% |
| Associate (A.A. or equivalent) | 0.7% |
| Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) | 24.2% |
| Master’s degree (M.A., M.S., etc.) | 39.0% |
| J.D. (law) | 4.3% |
| M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M. (medical) | 11.8% |
| Ph.D. | 12.4% |
| Professional doctorate (Ed.D., Psy.D., etc.) | 6.1% |
| Other | 0.8% |
| | |
| Top activities that students estimate they have a “very good chance” of doing in college | |
| Vote in a local, state, or national election | 62.9% |
| Participate in student clubs/groups | 51.2% |
| Get a job to help pay for college expenses | 50.7% |
| Communicate regularly with professors | 49.0% |
| Participate in volunteer or community-service work | 36.7% |
| | |
| Top objectives considered “essential” or “very important” | |
| Being very well off financially | 82.5% |
| Helping others who are in difficulty | 78.3% |
| Raising a family | 71.4% |
| Improving my understanding of other countries and cultures | 61.6% |
| Becoming an authority in my field | 56.8% |
Note: Survey results are based on responses from more than 120,000 first-time, full-time students entering 168 American four-year colleges and universities in 2017. 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, because multiple choices were allowed, or because some responses were excluded. 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. More data can be found here. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: “The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2017.” Higher Education Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles
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