Undergraduate Students at UMass Boston: A Presentation for the Student Educational

Research and Advocacy CenterApril 4, 2007

Prepared by:

The Office of Institutional

Research and Policy Studies

Jennifer Brown, Director

Kevin B. Murphy, Associate Director

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 2

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

• A national survey that seeks information from first year students and seniors. We participated most recently in 2004, and will participate again this fall.

• Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)

• A national survey of the backgrounds, attitudes, and expectations of (mostly) first year students.

• Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS)

• The main U.S. government higher education data collection system.

• UMass Boston Records (UMB)

Where does this information come from?

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 3

UMass Boston First Year respondents tended to be older than their colleagues in the comparison groups. (NSSE)

Percent of First Year Students Reporting That They Are Age 20 or Older

42%

21%

10% 12%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 4

This is also true of seniors. (NSSE)

Percent of Senior Respondents Reporting That They Are Age 24 or Older

72%

55%

36%31%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 5

However, not all of our students are past traditional college age. Almost 2/3 are in the traditional age group. (UMB)

Age Distribution for Fall 2006 UMass Boston Undergraduate Students

19%

45%

17%20%

19 and under 20 to 24 25 to 29 30 and over

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 6

UMass Boston respondents were more racially/ethnically diverse than were the national comparison groups. (NSSE)

Percent of Respondents Selecting Race/Ethnicity of African American/Black, Am. Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific

Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Other, or Multi-racial

54%

31% 30%

24%

44%

30% 28%23%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

FirstYear

Seniors

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 7

UMass Boston undergraduates are the most racially and ethnically diverse in the UMass System. (IPEDS Fall 2005)

Various Racial Ethnic Groups as a Percent of Known Race U.S. Resident Undergraduates at the UMass Campuses

18%

5% 5%

7%8%

6%

4%3%

14%

9%8%

3%

UMass Boston UMass Lowell UMassAmherst

UMassDartmouth

Black NH

Hispanic

Asian P.I.

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 8

UMass Boston respondents were more likely to have transferred here from another college. (NSSE)

Percentage of Respondents Reporting That They Began College at a Different Institution

18%12%

6% 8%

75%

60%

44%38%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

FirstYear

Seniors

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 9

UMass Boston respondents were also more likely to have come here from other countries. (NSSE) (UMass Boston records indicate that 22% of the fall 2005 undergraduates were citizens of countries other than the U.S.)

Percentage of Respondents Who Report Being International Students or Foreign Nationals

15%

8%

6%5%

18%

7%6%

5%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

FirstYear

Seniors

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 10

They were also more likely to speak a language other than English as a first language. (CIRP)

Percent of Respondents Who Identified a Language Other Than English as Their First Language

37%

16%

5%

UMass Boston All Public Universities All 4 Year Institutions

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 11

UMass Boston respondents reported lower levels of parental income than did their colleagues at the other public universities. (CIRP)

Student's Estimate of Parents' Income for the Past Year

11%

16%18%

13%

42%

8%

12%15%

11%

53%

< $20K $20K to39.9K

$40K to59.9K

$60K to74.9K

> $75K

UMassBoston

All PublicUniversities

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 12

UMass Boston respondents reported working more hours off campus each week than did their counterparts. (NSSE)

Percent Of Respondents Reporting Working More Than 20 HoursPer Week Off Campus

39%

28%

14% 12%

51%47%

33%

28%

UMass Boston UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

FirstYear

Seniors

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 13

UMass Boston respondents were less likely to attend school full time. (NSSE)

Percent of Respondents Who Report Attending School Full Time

77%

91% 95% 96%

64%

75%83% 85%

UMassBoston

UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensive

All NSSE

FirstYear

Seniors

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 14

Many UMass Boston respondents expected that their undergraduate education would be delayed by work or family responsibilities. (NSSE & CIRP)

Percent of Students who Expect Delayed Degree Completion Because of Work or Family Responsibilities

25%

18%

27%

32%

28%

UMB NSSEFirst Year

Urban NSSEFirst Year

CIRP UMBOnly

UMB NSSESenior

Urban NSSESenior

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 15

Many Boston students chose UMass Boston, because of financial reasons or to be near home. (CIRP)

Percent Stating These Reasons Were "Very Important" In Choosing a School

39%

66%

37%

19%

32%28%

33%

16%

7%10%

I wasoffered

financialassistance

The cost ofattending

this college

I wanted tolive near

home

Not offeredaid by first

choice

Could notafford first

choice

UMassBoston

All PublicUniversities

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 16

Many UMass Boston respondents have their permanent homes close to school. (CIRP)

How Many Miles Do Students Live Away from Their Permanent Homes?

22%

43%

12%

3% 4%

21%

72%

24%

5 or less 6 to 10 11 to 50 Over 50

UMassBoston

All PublicUniversities

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 17

In fact, most UMass Boston respondents live with their families or other relatives. (CIRP)

Where Students Planned to Live During The Fall 2006 Semester

73%

24%

0% 2%8%

5%

82%

4%

With family orother relatives

Other privatehome, apartment,

etc.

Collegeresidence hall

Other

UMassBoston

All PublicUniversities

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 18

They spend significantly more time commuting to class than their colleagues in the Urban Consortium or at other Doctoral Intensive Universities. (NSSE)

Percent of Students Spending 6 or More Hours Commuting to Class Each Week

41%

50%

31%35%

24%28%

First Year Students Seniors

UMassBoston

UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensives

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 19

In fact, one fifth of UMass Boston students spent an

average of over two hours a day commuting to class.(NSSE)

Percent of Students Spending 11 or More Hours Commuting to Class Each Week

21%20%

11%13%

8% 9%

First Year Seniors

UMassBoston

UrbanConsortium

DoctoralIntensives

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 20

Not surprisingly, in the past two CIRP administrations, a majority of UMass Boston respondents indicated that they might like to live in a dorm. (CIRP)

Percent of UMass Boston Respondents Who Said It Was Somewhat Likely or Very Likely That They Would Choose

to Live in a Dorm If We Had Them.

61%57%

CIRP 2004 CIRP 2006

OIRP 04/04/2007 KBM 21

Thank you!