Visualizing the Undergraduate Population– The Chronicle of Higher Education

What does the statistically average undergraduate look like? And what are some of the characteristics of the undergraduate population as a whole?
February 21, 2011
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What does the statistically average undergraduate look like? And what are some of the characteristics of the undergraduate population as a whole?

A fairly recent post from the Chronicle of Higher Education put a nice visualization to the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS). While the finalized data have been available since 2009, what the Chronicle of Higher Education did with some of the basic stats allows individuals to engage with the data in ways that spreadsheets and reports can’t replicate. We highly suggest you go over to their post (click here) to play around with the tool yourself.

Want the quick version? Here are some statistics from the 2007-2008 NPSAS that you may find surprising or interesting:  

  • 45.7% of all undergraduate students in 2007-2008 went to public, 2-year institutions.
  • 25.1% of all undergraduate students (including those classified as dependent and independent) are in households with $20,000 or less in annual income.
  • 56.9% of all undergraduate students are female.
  • 47.7% of all undergraduate students attended school exclusively full-time.
  • While nearly 60% of students enrolled as undergraduates in postsecondary institutions are under 23 years old, 23% of such students are 30 and older.

You can find more interesting studies and statistics in the Research and Insights section of the College Parents of America website.

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