North Carolina State University
1999 First-Year Student Survey:
Highlights

• NC State conducted its annual survey of entering first-year students during New Student Orientation sessions held in June and August 1999. The survey had a response rate of 83.8 percent, and a margin of error of under 1 percent (+.26) at the 95 percent confidence level.

• The factors rated most influential in the decision to attend NC State were academic reputation (22.5%), level of support for my intended major (17.0%), and availability of program (14.6%). Women and African Americans rated all but 3 of the 20 factors asked about as more influential than did men and whites, respectively.

• Two-thirds (66.5%) of women compared to 47.5 percent of men said they intended to obtain a baccalaureate degree as preparation for graduate or professional school. Men, on the other hand, were more likely than women to say their primary goal was to earn a bachelor's degree in preparation for a career (35.9% vs. 25.8%).

• Over 40 percent (41.0%) of African Americans planned on going beyond a master�s degree, compared to 27 percent of whites. Women were also more likely than men to say they intended to go beyond a master�s degree (38.2% vs. 21.9%).

• Of those students reporting less than a 15 hour credit hour enrollment status in their first semester, the most common reasons given were that the respondent wants better grades (49.2%), and that the courses they wanted were not available (27.6%).

• Students rated personal development goals as more important than general education and world view goals (8 of the 10 highest ratings). Goals central to the University's core general education curriculum received the lowest ratings for both perceived importance and the student's current development (understanding the present as it relates to history, developing an appreciation of the arts, understanding diverse cultures, and developing the ability to apply scientific principles).

For more information on the 1999 First-Year Student Survey contact:
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: April, 2000

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