North Carolina State University
2008 First-Year Student Survey:
Gender and Racial/Ethnic Comparisons of
Students' Evaluation of the Application Process
This document reports gender and racial/ethnic differences in the respondents' experiences with the application process and factors influencing their decision to attend NC State. For information about the survey and analysis methods see "2008 First-Year Student Survey: Introduction, Methods, and Student Demographic Profile". Exact question wording is available on the web or by clicking on the "Q" next to the table heading.
Number of Schools
Applied To | Contacts During the Admissions Process
| Factors Influencing Attendance Decision | Most
Influential Factor |
Satisfaction with Admissions | Virtual Advising Center Rating
| Number of colleges applied to | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 14.3% | 10.5% | 17.6% | 7.4% | 15.9% | 8.6% |
| Two | 21.4% | 18.8% | 23.7% | 15.7% | 22.7% | 16.9% |
| Three | 24.5% | 24.5% | 24.6% | 24.0% | 24.1% | 27.8% |
| Four | 18.9% | 22.1% | 16.2% | 20.0% | 19.0% | 17.9% |
| Five or more | 20.8% | 24.1% | 17.9% | 32.9% | 18.3% | 28.8% |
| Total (N) | 4,160 | 1,921 | 2,239 | 350 | 3,324 | 486 |
| Yes, had contact via: | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Call from faculty/staff | 17.0% | 16.1% | 17.7% | 29.8% | 15.5% | 17.9% |
| Call from current student | 17.8% | 18.5% | 17.2% | 25.6% | 16.6% | 20.2% |
| Call from graduate | 8.6% | 6.4% | 10.5% | 7.4% | 8.9% | 7.6% |
| Letter from outside Admissions Office | 59.5% | 61.7% | 57.5% | 62.8% | 58.8% | 61.9% |
| Total (N) | 4,169 | 1,921 | 2,248 | 352 | 3,331 | 486 |
Back to Top Q Factors Influencing Decision to Attend NC State
| Factors | Mean rating Scale: 5=Very strong influence, 4=Strong influence, 3=Moderate influence, 2=Weak influence, 1=Very weak influence |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other | |
| Academic reputation | 4.17 | 4.15 | 4.18 | 4.40 | 4.15 | 4.09 |
| Acceptance into First Year College | 3.87 | 3.99 | 3.73 | 3.75 | 3.91 | 3.74 |
| Availability of program | 3.86 | 3.87 | 3.85 | 3.86 | 3.86 | 3.84 |
| Level of support for my intended major | 3.85 | 3.77 | 3.92 | 3.78 | 3.86 | 3.83 |
| Facilities and resources available | 3.73 | 3.73 | 3.73 | 3.90 | 3.73 | 3.62 |
| Location | 3.67 | 3.75 | 3.60 | 3.74 | 3.66 | 3.70 |
| Recommended | 3.45 | 3.47 | 3.43 | 3.24 | 3.49 | 3.32 |
| Campus visit prior to orientation | 3.36 | 3.53 | 3.21 | 3.73 | 3.34 | 3.16 |
| Cost | 3.27 | 3.22 | 3.32 | 3.24 | 3.23 | 3.59 |
| Contact with a current student | 3.23 | 3.32 | 3.15 | 3.11 | 3.25 | 3.17 |
| Extracurricular opportunities | 3.13 | 3.21 | 3.07 | 3.60 | 3.09 | 3.10 |
| Scholarships/financial aid available | 3.04 | 3.09 | 2.99 | 3.91 | 2.90 | 3.27 |
| Size | 3.00 | 3.10 | 2.91 | 3.11 | 2.99 | 2.98 |
| Campus recreation programs | 2.95 | 2.93 | 2.96 | 3.18 | 2.92 | 2.93 |
| Contact with a graduate | 2.95 | 2.93 | 2.96 | 2.77 | 2.98 | 2.81 |
| Pack Promise Program | 2.57 | 2.66 | 2.49 | 3.41 | 2.41 | 2.80 |
| Contact with a faculty or staff member | 2.53 | 2.52 | 2.54 | 2.60 | 2.51 | 2.65 |
| Attendance at a College Fair | 2.34 | 2.38 | 2.32 | 2.81 | 2.28 | 2.45 |
| Publications from NC State | 2.31 | 2.35 | 2.28 | 2.66 | 2.27 | 2.34 |
| Number of hours transferred/credited | 2.23 | 2.24 | 2.22 | 2.30 | 2.20 | 2.45 |
| Letter from outside Admissions Office | 2.16 | 2.17 | 2.15 | 2.55 | 2.11 | 2.14 |
| Other | 4.15 | 4.47 | 3.91 | 4.29 | 4.20 | 3.65 |
Back to Top Q Most Influential Factor Influencing Decision to Attend NC State
| Most influential factor | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic reputation | 24.1% | 21.2% | 26.6% | 33.0% | 22.7% | 27.3% |
| Cost | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 6.7% |
| Location | 9.4% | 10.5% | 8.5% | 6.0% | 9.4% | 11.9% |
| Size | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| Availability of program | 12.3% | 11.9% | 12.7% | 7.5% | 12.9% | 11.5% |
| Recommended | 5.8% | 6.5% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 6.3% | 4.1% |
| Number of hours transferred/credited | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Level of support for my intended major | 17.2% | 15.3% | 18.8% | 9.1% | 18.4% | 14.4% |
| Facilities and resources available | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 1.9% | 3.6% | 2.5% |
| Scholarships/financial aid available | 5.4% | 6.6% | 4.3% | 13.2% | 4.4% | 6.7% |
| Pack Promise Program | 1.5% | 2.0% | 1.1% | 7.2% | 0.8% | 2.3% |
| Campus visit prior to orientation | 3.3% | 4.5% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 1.6% |
| Contact with a current student | 2.6% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 1.3% | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Contact with a faculty or staff member | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Contact with a graduate | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 1.4% | 0.9% |
| Letter from someone other than admissions | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Attendance at a College Fair | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Publications from NC State | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Extracurricular opportunities | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 1.3% | 1.4% |
| Acceptance into First Year College | 2.1% | 3.3% | 1.1% | 0.6% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Campus recreation programs | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Other | 3.2% | 3.5% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.4% | 2.3% |
| Total (N) | 3,763 | 1,750 | 2,013 | 318 | 3,009 | 436 |
| Satisfaction with university admissions | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Rating | 3.45 | 3.51 | 3.41 | 3.47 | 3.45 | 3.45 |
| 4: Very satisfied | 51.9% | 55.7% | 48.7% | 53.7% | 51.6% | 52.8% |
| 3: Moderately satisfied | 42.5% | 39.9% | 44.7% | 40.8% | 42.9% | 40.5% |
| 2: Moderately dissatisfied | 4.8% | 3.7% | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 5.4% |
| 1: Very dissatisfied | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Total (N) | 4,138 | 1,914 | 2,224 | 348 | 3,309 | 481 |
| Satisfaction with dept. admissions | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Rating | 3.43 | 3.49 | 3.39 | 3.45 | 3.44 | 3.41 |
| 4: Very satisfied | 51.0% | 54.5% | 48.0% | 53.2% | 51.0% | 49.3% |
| 3: Moderately satisfied | 42.3% | 40.1% | 44.1% | 39.9% | 42.4% | 43.0% |
| 2: Moderately dissatisfied | 5.9% | 4.7% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 5.8% | 6.7% |
| 1: Very dissatisfied | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Total (N) | 3,983 | 1,834 | 2,149 | 333 | 3,190 | 460 |
| Satisfaction with financial aid process | NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Rating | 2.98 | 3.03 | 2.94 | 3.25 | 2.95 | 2.95 |
| 4: Very satisfied | 31.5% | 33.5% | 29.8% | 47.9% | 28.8% | 35.1% |
| 3: Moderately satisfied | 42.0% | 41.4% | 42.4% | 35.9% | 43.9% | 34.6% |
| 2: Moderately dissatisfied | 19.5% | 19.1% | 19.8% | 9.2% | 20.8% | 20.3% |
| 1: Very dissatisfied | 7.0% | 5.9% | 7.9% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 10.0% |
| Total (N) | 3,146 | 1,452 | 1,694 | 326 | 2,441 | 379 |
| NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 6.2% | 6.7% | 5.8% | 12.0% | 6.0% | 3.5% |
| Good | 17.2% | 16.9% | 17.4% | 16.5% | 17.3% | 16.5% |
| Fair | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 2.8% | 3.7% | 4.5% |
| Poor | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Know about/did not use | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.3% | 7.5% | 8.2% |
| Did not know about | 64.6% | 64.8% | 64.5% | 62.1% | 64.7% | 66.0% |
| Total (N) | 4,161 | 1,919 | 2,242 | 351 | 3,325 | 485 |
| NCSU | Women | Men | AfAm | White | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 22.3% | 24.2% | 20.7% | 37.8% | 21.6% | 13.6% |
| Good | 61.5% | 61.1% | 61.8% | 52.3% | 62.3% | 64.0% |
| Fair | 13.4% | 12.4% | 14.1% | 9.0% | 13.3% | 17.6% |
| Poor | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.3% | 0.9% | 2.8% | 4.8% |
| Total (N) | 1,161 | 532 | 629 | 111 | 925 | 125 |
Dr. Nancy Whelchel, Associate Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Box 7002
NCSU
Phone: (919) 515-4184
Email: Nancy_Whelchel@ncsu.edu
Posted: March, 2008
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