2009 NATIONAL RESEARCH REPORT National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report Are college students satisfi ed with their educational experiences? Each year, the National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report examines this subject, compiling data from hundreds of thousands of students attending four-year public campuses, four-year private institutions, two-year community colleges, and private two-year career schools. This report highlights some key areas, including how satisfaction levels differ by student demographic variables, how satisfaction varies by institutional choice, and whether today’s students— if they had to do it all over—would choose the campuses they currently attend. Table of contents... The 2009 study: Discovering national trends and opportunities for improvement .............................................................................. 3 Satisfaction and likelihood to re-enroll: The overall results ................. 4 Institutional choice: A key element in satisfaction ............................... 4 2008 fi rst-year students: College choice also impacts satisfaction ........ 5 Ethnicity reports: Lower satisfaction among African-American and Asian students ........................................................................... 7 GPA reports: Academic success breeds satisfaction ............................ 8 Class level reports: Declining likelihood of re-enrolling at private institutions ........................................................................... 9 Gender reports: Greater satisfaction levels from female students ........ 10 Region reports: Geographic differences in satisfaction ....................... 11 Closing ideas: Assessment and benchmarking often show the way to greater institutional success ........................................................ 12 Appendix ....................................................................................... 13 For more results classifi ed by institution type, visit www.noellevitz.com/benchmark2009 2 © 2009 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2009 National Student Satisfaction-Priorities Report—Executive Summary Do campuses have resources they can afford to waste? How these results were measured While the Student Satisfaction Inventory The answer to that question may seem like an obvious, resounding “no.” Yet surveys a whole range of campus items, the many college campuses waste precious resources by not knowing what their top general satisfaction results in this report are priorities should be. based on three summary items at the end of the survey. The fi rst item asks students to Tracking student satisfaction and priorities plays a critical role in using those indicate if their educational experiences have resources effi ciently and effectively. Student satisfaction is a key component met their expectations. Most students indicate that their experiences are about what they of student life and learning, a gauge of whether an institution is providing expected or better than they expected. an experience that students deem worthwhile. By simultaneously assessing The other two summary items are the focus satisfaction and priorities, campuses can determine which areas demand their of this report: greatest attention and make decisions that will have the greatest impact on the Rate your overall satisfaction with your student experience. experience here thus far. 1. Not satisfi ed at all However, there is no one student population on any campus. Different 2. Not very satisfi ed genders, ethnicities, class levels, and other subpopulations will often express 3. Somewhat dissatisfi ed varying satisfaction levels, even if they have had similar college experiences. 4. Neutral Understanding the differences among these populations can help institutions 5. Somewhat satisfi ed enact initiatives and allocate resources that will strengthen satisfaction among 6. Satisfi ed 7. Very satisfi ed these diverse groups. The percentage indicated in this report The 2009 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report explores these refl ects students who answered issues and presents a national snapshot of students’ opinions about their 6 (satisfi ed) or 7 (very satisfi ed). educations, across different demographic groups and institution types. In All in all, if you had it to do over again, particular, the report shows whether students’ expectations are being met would you re-enroll here? 1. Defi nitely not and whether they feel their educations have been worthwhile. 2. Probably not 3. Maybe not 4. I don’t know The 2009 study: Discovering national trends and opportunities 5. Maybe yes for improvement 6. Probably yes 7. Defi nitely yes The 2009 National Student Satisfaction and Priorities Report presents the responses The percentage indicated in this report to the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory™ (SSI) from more than 686,000 refl ects students who answered students at nearly 1,000 four-year and two-year public and private institutions 6 (probably yes) or 7 (defi nitely yes). across North America. The results include student responses over a three-year The larger data sets are segmented by academic time period from the fall of 2006 through the spring of 2009. institution type and by identifi ed key demographic variables. The most recent results reveal some opportunities to improve the experiences of specifi c populations. In particular, these fi ndings stand out: • Greater satisfaction among students at community colleges than other institutions. • The variation of satisfaction based on whether the institution was the fi rst, second, or third choice of the student. • Much lower levels of satisfaction among African-American and Asian-American students attending four-year institutions. • Higher levels of satisfaction among female students than male students across all institution types. • Lower satisfaction from students attending institutions in the East. © 2009 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • www.noellevitz.com 3 Satisfaction and likelihood to re-enroll: The overall results The table below shows the composite scores of all students by institution type. In this report, “likelihood to re-enroll” does not necessarily mean that students answering negatively do not intend to return to their institutions. Instead, it really addresses this question: If students had to repeat their education, would they enroll again at their institutions? In other words, do they feel that attending their chosen institutions has been worth it? This response shows whether the In this report, academic offerings and student experiences provided by these institutions are the best fi t for ‘likelihood to the students they have enrolled. re-enroll’ does not necessarily Overall scores Percent satisfi ed Likelihood to re-enroll mean that students Four-year public 53% 60% answering negatively do not Four-year private 55% 58% intend to return to Two-year community colleges 60% 70% their institutions. Two-year career and private schools 56% 56% Instead, it really addresses this Two-year community and technical colleges show the highest percentage of satisfi ed students and question: If the largest percentage of likelihood to re-enroll scores. Career schools then have the next highest students had percentage of overall satisfaction, with a very similar percentage of likelihood to re-enroll. Students to repeat their at four-year private institutions refl ect fi fty-fi ve percent satisfaction, but only a fi fty-eight percent education, would likelihood to re-enroll, while students at four-year publics have slightly lower satisfaction levels they enroll again at (53%), but have a higher likelihood to re-enroll result (60%). their institutions? It’s possible that price may play a key role in these overall results. Given that community college In other words, students usually have made a much smaller fi nancial investment than students at four-year do they feel that institutions, they may be more inclined to feel that their education was “worth it.” attending their chosen institutions Institutional choice: A key element in satisfaction has been worth it? The data from four-year and two-year institutions show that institutional choice is a very signifi cant factor in forecasting students’ satisfaction and how likely they are to remain at their institutions. Regardless of the institution type, students who enroll at their fi rst-choice institution express greater satisfaction and likelihood to re-enroll. Four-year public Percent satisfi ed Likelihood to re-enroll First choice 63% 72% Second choice 46% 50% Third choice 28% 26% Four-year private Percent satisfi ed Likelihood to re-enroll First choice 64% 68% Second choice 46% 46% Third choice 29% 26% 4 © 2009 Noel-Levitz, Inc. • 2009 National Student Satisfaction-Priorities Report—Executive Summary Two-year community colleges Percent satisfi ed Likelihood to re-enroll Every institution First choice 69% 79% will have a Second choice 51% 59% signifi cant Third choice 31% 31% number of students who did not choose that Two-year career and private schools Percent satisfi ed Likelihood to re-enroll school as their fi rst choice. It is First choice 66% 68% especially critical Second choice 47% 45% for campuses to Third choice 26% 21% fi nd ways to make these students Comparing the fi rst-choice group and third-choice group, there are signifi cant differences in feel welcome and satisfaction and re-enrollment across all institution types, with a thirty-fi ve percent to forty percent comfortable, for difference in satisfaction ratings and a forty-two to forty-eight percent difference in likelihood to they are likely