Study Answers Who Are Today's First-Year College Students

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA attempted to answer the question – Who are today’s first-year college students?
The institute surveyed 220,000 first-year students who graduated from high school in 2009 and now attend 1,555 four-year colleges.
According to StudentAid.com, here are 20 interesting factoids that cast a glimpse into the average American college student’s academic experience.
1. Percentage accepted by their No. 1 college: 79 percent.
2. Percentage attending their No. 1 choice: 61 percent.
3. Percentage who applied to four or fewer colleges: 67 percent.
4. Percentage who are attending college more than 500 miles from home: 14 percent.
5. Percentage who are attending college that’s 50 miles or less from home: 35 percent.
6. Percentage who graduated from high school with an A- or better grade point average: 48 percent.
7. Percentage expected to need tutoring or remedial help with math: 24 percent.
8. Percentage that consider themselves liberal: 29 percent.
9. Percentage that considers themselves conservative: 22 percent.
10. Percentage that took at least one Advanced Placement class in high school: 68 percent.
11. Percentage who want to obtain a master’s degree: 42 percent.
12. Percentage who hope to become a veterinarian, dentist or physician: 10 percent.
13. Percentage who want to earn a Ph.D.: 18 percent.
14. Percentage who expect to major in business: 14 percent.
15. Percentage who estimated that their parents’ income is less than $50,000: 30 percent.
16. Percentage who estimated that their parents’ income is more than $200,000: 12 percent.
17. Percentage who have unemployed fathers: 4 percent.
18. Percentage who have unemployed mothers: 8 percent.
19. Percentage who have borrowed money to attend college: 53 percent.
20. Percentage who are working to pay for college: 49 percent.
This stuty targeted traditional college bound students and their parents who will need to file their FAFSA for the 2010-2011 school year.
Just as a reminder that almost 400 school deadlines occur this February for FAFSA enrollment, including Connecticut and Tennessee, both of which have state deadlines on February 15, 2010.