2015 CIRP Freshmen Survey
Main Content
Published May 2016
Selected Comparative Data from the 2015 CIRP Freshmen Survey (pdf)2015 Freshmen
As this year's freshman class entered college, community issues and politics weighed heavily on their minds. With 2016 presidential campaigns beginning to gain steam, freshmen expressed their commitment to political engagement and their views on the political landscape.
Freshmen are engaged politically and in their community.
Percentage of freshmen that expect to participate in student protests or demonstrations while in college:
- 33% – Nationally
- 41% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that feel it's important to help others in difficulty:
- 75% – Nationally
- 77.5% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that believe being a community leader matters:
- 40% – Nationally
- 77.1% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that want to improve their understanding of other countries and cultures:
- 59% – Nationally
- 67.1% – UIUC
Which may relate to their stance on key social policy issues.
Percentage of freshmen that identify as liberal or far left:
- 34% – Nationally
- 43% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that endorse the right of same-sex couples to marry:
- 81% – Nationally
- 89% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that believe marijuana should be legalized:
- 56% – Nationally
- 62.2% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that support the legal status of abortion:
- 64% – Nationally
- 72.2% – UIUC
While their notions of diversity continue to expand.
Percentage of freshmen that identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or other:
- 7% – Nationally
- 11.7% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that identify as agnostic, atheist or not affiliated with any religion:
- 30% – Nationally
- 41.2% – UIUC
Students use a variety of sources to fund their first year of college.
Percentage of freshmen that rely on Pell grants:
- 27% – Nationally
- 24.2% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that utilize merit-based grants or scholarships:
- 52% – Nationally
- 41.8% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that have taken out loans:
- 54% – Nationally
- 54.4% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that express concerns about financing their education:
- 65% – Nationally
- 76.3% – UIUC
Students rely on multiple sources to supplement their learning …
Percentage of freshmen that had special tutoring or remedial work in math:
- 17% – Nationally
- 21.5% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that learned something on their own via an online course:
- 83% – Nationally
- 67% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that participated in a summer bridge program:
- 6% – Nationally
- 5.8% – UIUC
… And are open to additional support while in college.
Percentage of freshmen that anticipate needing tutoring or remedial work in math:
- 28% – Nationally
- 25.5% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that expect to seek personal counseling:
- 48% – Nationally
- 60.7% – UIUC
Many students' college choice was influenced by graduates' success.
Percentage of freshmen that considered graduates' admission to top graduate/professional schools:
- 38% – Nationally
- 77.6% – UIUC
Percentage of freshmen that considered graduates' job placement:
- 60% – Nationally
- 93.1% – UIUC
Survey Source: CIRP Freshman Survey 2015
Information about students entering college helps enrollment planning, retention efforts, and provides a baseline for understanding college effectiveness. Register for the CIRP Freshman Survey at www.cirpsurveys.org. The 2015 CIRP Freshman Survey report is available as a free download at heri.ucla.edu/publications-tfs/.
Facebook: facebook.com/HERI.CIRP
Twitter: @HERIUCLA
The response rate for the survey was 22%. The demographic data from the respondents indicates that they were slightly different from the entire Freshman class. Among the respondents females, Multiracial, and Asians were over-represented. African and International students were slightly under-represented. White, Native American, Latino, and unknown students were represented equally compared to the Freshman class. As a result of this dissimilarity the results presented here should not be attributed to all Freshman students at the UIUC. This data reflects the experiences of a large proportion of the Freshman class but not all.