The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2006 Sylvia Hurtado & John H. Pryor January 19, 2007

1. The American Freshman:National Norms for Fall 2006Sylvia Hurtado & John H. Pryor January 19, 2007 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Graduate School of Education & Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html

2. CIRP Surveys • Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) established in 1966 at American Council on Education • CIRP transferred to UCLA in 1973 • 40th Anniversary of CIRP in 2006 • Examination of long-term trends in college students • Data used for policy analysis, human resource planning, campus administration, educational research, guidance and counseling

3. CIRP Surveys • Freshman Survey • Your First College Year (YFCY) • End of first year of college • College Senior Survey (CSS) • End of college experience • Survey instruments • Used in conjunction for longitudinal purposes • Revised annually to reflect changing concerns

4. 2006 Freshman Norms • Based on weighted responses of 271,441 students at 393 4-year colleges and universities • 88% median institutional participation rate • Data statistically adjusted to reflect responses of 1.3 million first-time, full-time students

5. Presentation Outline • Political Orientation and Views • Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Concerns about College Finances • Impact of Finances on College Choice • Reliance on Paid Work • AP Course-Taking and Exams • Civic Commitment and Concerns • Pre-College/College Racial Composition

6. Political Orientation and Views

7. Political Orientation and Views • Increased prevalence of discussing politics in high school • 2006 – 33.8 percent (“frequently”) • 2004 – 25.5 percent (“frequently”)

8. Political Orientation and Views • Political shift away from center

9. Political Orientation and Views • Political shift away from center

10. Political Orientation and Views • Shift in attitudes from 2005 to 2006

11. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues

12. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Differences in support for gay rights

13. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Differences in support for legalizing abortion

14. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Noticeable differences along ideological lines

15. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Affirmative action in college admissions should be abolished • 52.7% of conservative freshmen agree “strongly” or “somewhat” • 44.6% of liberal freshmen agree “strongly” or “somewhat”

16. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues • Modest differences along ideological lines

17. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues

18. Attitudes on Social/Political Issues

19. Civic Commitment and Concerns

20. Civic Commitment and Concerns

21. Concerns about College Finances

22. Concerns about College Finances • 2 out of 3 (64.1 percent) students indicate that they have “some” or “major” concerns regarding their ability to finance the costs of college education

23. “Major” concerns about financing college based on family income Concerns about College Finances

24. College Choice and Finances

25. College Choice • 2006 – 67.3% attending first choice • Lowest level since 1988 (66.7%)

26. College Choice and Finances • Top 5 important reasons influencing college choice for students attending first-choice institution • Academic reputation • Graduates getting good jobs • Visit to campus • School size • Good social reputation

27. Impact of Finances on College Choice • Finances of greater concern for students attending second- and third-choice institutions

28. Impact of Finances on College Choice • Of students who were admitted but did not attend their first-choice institutions… • 34.0% could not afford their first choice • 20.7% did not receive aid from their first choice

29. Impact of Finances on College Choice

30. Impact of Finances on College Choice

31. Reliance on Paid Work

32. Reliance on Paid Work

33. AP Course-Taking and Exams

34. AP Course-Taking and Exams • 61.6% took at least one AP course • 51.0% took at least one AP exam • 6.3% went to high schools that did not offer AP courses

35. AP Course-Taking and Exams

36. Pre-College/College Racial Composition

37. Pre-College/College Racial Composition

38. Conclusions • Increasing student political and civic awareness • Colleges can foster democratic citizenship, greater political and civic awareness. Good news for college classroom and student affairs work • College choice is becoming more complex • Attention to financial support for low-income and middle-class families is essential • Given unequal opportunities in access to AP courses and exams, we need to offer alternative criteria for admissions • Diversity remains a major concern for college educational goals

39. For more information: A copy of “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2006, press release, research brief, powerpoint slides: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.htm Register for the 2007 CIRP Freshman Survey www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/cirp_register.html