7 facts we’ve learned about students in 2011; a summary of Noel-Levitz research findings

Noel-Levitz conducted numerous studies in 2011 to further understand the behaviors and attitudes of prospective and current students in higher education as they relate to student success, student retention, and new student enrollment. Here are some highlights from what we learned:

1. One in three freshmen lacks confidence in academic preparation for college.  In our 2011 National Freshman Attitudes Report, we found that up to one-half of first-year undergraduates nationwide acknowledged that their academic preparation wasn’t as solid as they may have hoped. First-generation freshmen in particular were apprehensive about their abilities in math and writing.
2. One of the top undergraduate recruiting practices in 2011 was addressing students’ concerns about costs. In our 2011 Report: Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions, we ranked 78 emerging and familiar recruiting practices for public and private colleges and universities. At the top of the list, across sectors, were activities that encouraged prospective students to take action, addressed their concerns about costs, and built relationships between them and institutional representatives, including currently enrolled students.
3. Students’ levels of financial need continue to rise. In our 2011 Discounting Report, a comparative research study of private nonprofit institutions that are partnering with Noel-Levitz to strategically award their financial aid, we found that “high need” students continued to enroll at these institutions in greater numbers while enrollments of students with less need continued on a downward trend.
4. College students today tend to be more satisfied than their counterparts from 15 years ago, but 40 percent remain dissatisfied. In our National Student Satisfaction and Priorities 15-Year Trend Report, we found that, overall, today’s students are more satisfied than students in 1995, though a significant percentage of students remain dissatisfied across sectors. Student satisfaction has increased the most at four-year public institutions, increasing 10 percent from 47 percent in 1995 to 57 percent in 2010.
5. Nearly 60 percent of prospective undergraduate students are researching college choices with their parents. In our 2011 E-Expectations Report, we found both parents and students look for links related to academic programs and admissions information when first visiting college Web sites.  In addition to indicating that they were researching colleges together, 49 percent of students and 61 percent of parents said the final decision on where to enroll would also be done together.
6. Between 9 and 19 percent of first-term freshmen fail to return for their second term. In our 2011 Mid-Year Retention Indicators Report, we took a closer look at retention and learned that first-to-second-term attrition was greater for first-year students than for second-year college students, but the difference wasn’t as big as some may have thought.
7. One of the top undergraduate retention practices in 2011 was giving students practical work experiences in their intended majors in order to apply their learning. In our 2011 Report: Student Retention Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions, we ranked 53 emerging and widely-used practices for keeping today’s undergraduates on track to complete their degree. In addition to identifying widely-used practices, the report identifies a few top-ranked practices that were used by only half or less of the survey respondents.

You can find more higher education papers and reports on our Web site and additional student research on our blog, including dramatic expected growth in students 25 and older and among Asian-American/Pacific Islanders.  In 2011, we also looked at special populations including online learners, adult learners, second-year students, and recipients of Pell grants.  Looking ahead to 2012, we anticipate many more studies, including further research on graduate students, adult learners, and “secret shoppers” (prospective students who search for colleges online without identifying themselves to the institutions).

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