Southwest Texas State University

Student Data

1. During their last year of high school, SWT freshmen were like Texas (27 Texas institutions participating in study) and National Public University freshmen in the amount of time spent socializing with friends, exercising or playing sports, and watching TV.



2. SWT freshmen were less likely than Texas and Public University freshmen to study, do volunteer work, or talk with teachers outside the class.



3. SWT freshmen were more likely than Texas and Public University freshmen to spend time partying.
4. SWT freshmen are much less likely to come from high schools that require community service, even though the percentage of Texas freshmen that report a high school community service requirement is higher than the Public University freshmen percentage.
5. SWT freshmen see themselves as cooperative and as having a drive to achieve, much like freshmen in Texas and at Public Universities.



6. SWT freshmen are more likely to have socialized with others of a different racial or ethnic group, much more likely to have been bored in class, and more likely to have smoked cigarettes during the past year than their peers who are attending other Texas schools or Public Universities.



7. SWT freshmen also report higher levels of tardiness for class, drinking wine or liquor, and drinking beer than freshmen elsewhere in Texas or in Public Universities.



8. SWT was the first choice of colleges for more than two-thirds of the new freshmen.
9. Just over a quarter of SWT freshmen applied only to SWT for admission.
10. The top five reasons freshmen cite for deciding to attend SWT are size of the college, good reputation for social activities, graduates get good jobs, very good academic reputation, and low tuition.



11. SWT freshmen are more confident than Texas and Public University freshmen about their ability to finance a college education, less likely to use financial aid, and more likely to depend on their families for college funding.
12. Sixty-seven percent of SWT freshmen plan to obtain at least a bachelor’s degree from SWT, and another 22 percent intend to continue graduate studies at SWT to earn a master’s degree.
13. Objectives that are essential or very important to SWT freshmen include being very well off financially (74%), raising a family (72%), becoming an authority in their field (61%), helping others who are in difficulty (54%) and obtaining recognition from colleagues for contributions to their field (51%).



14. SWT freshmen indicated that chances were good that they would socialize with someone of another racial/ethnic group (66%), develop close friendships with other students (65%), get a job to help pay for college expenses (42%) and be satisfied with SWT (39%).



15. SWT freshmen hold more conservative views on affirmative action, taxes, and the death penalty than do national freshmen.

1. Fifty percent of the freshmen and 58% of seniors used an electronic medium to discuss or complete an assignment often or very often.                 
2. Sixty one percent of the freshmen and 54% of seniors had serious conversations with students of a different race/ethnicity than their own often or very often.
3. Only thirty percent of freshmen and 59% of seniors worked with classmates outside of class to prepare class assignments often or very often.
4. Seventy five percent of the freshmen and 52% of seniors planned to do community service or volunteer work.
5. Most freshmen (71%) and seniors (72%) spend 6 or more hours per week preparing for class.



6. Only 26% of the freshmen yet 63% of seniors spend 6 or more hours per week working for pay off campus.



7. Freshmen (79%) and seniors (72%) spend 6 or more hours per week relaxing and socializing.
8. Over eighty percent of freshmen (85%) and seniors (83%) said if they could start over again, they would probably or definitely attend SWT.



9. Thirty seven percent of the freshmen and 65% of the seniors said they often or very often asked questions in class or contributed to class discussions.
10. A high percentage of freshmen (65%) and seniors (67%) often used e-mail to communication with an instructor.
11. Freshmen (28%) at SWT were significantly higher than comparable schools (17%) in often or very often coming to class without completing readings or assignments.
12. Freshmen (9%) and seniors (15%) were significantly lower than comparable schools (11% and 19% respectively) in often or very often working with faculty members on activities other than coursework such as committees, orientation, and student life activities.
13. Freshmen (37%) and seniors (65%) were significantly below comparable schools (59% and 73% respectively) in often or very often asking questions in class or contributing to class discussions.
14. Seventy percent of the freshmen and 65% of the seniors evaluated the quality of academic advising received at SWT as good or excellent.
15. Eighty nine percent of the freshmen and seniors evaluated their entire educational experience at SWT as good or excellent.

Students admitted to SWT for Fall 2002 were asked to respond to the Admitted Student Questionnaire.  Responses included students who enrolled and students who did not enroll.  Highlights from the Admitted Student Questionnaire Plus 2002 include:

1. 70% of the students admitted to SWT who responded to the Admitted Student Questionnaire listed academic reputation as being very important. The difference between the enrolled students (65%) and non-enrolled students (74%) is statistically significant.
2. The top five college characteristics associated with SWT rated “very good” or “excellent” were the extracurricular activities, quality of social life, campus attractiveness, quality of majors and recreational facilities.



3. The bottom five college characteristics rated as “fair/poor” or “good” were the availability of merit scholarships, academic reputation, on-campus housing, environment of academic achievement and cost of attendance.



4. The top five images most associated with SWT (in descending order): fun (85%), partying (78%), social (71%), friendly (69%), and comfortable (64%).
5. The bottom five images most associated with SWT (in ascending order): selective (4%), isolated (6%), prestigious (8%), and not well known (8%).



6. Of the college characteristics considered “very important” by the majority of admitted students (over 50% of respondents), SWT’s mean rating was above that of all other colleges in cost of attending and surroundings.
7. The most used information sources were college publications (89%), college website (85%), post-admission communication (85%), campus visit (75%) and financial aid communications (65%).
8. The average student applies to 3.5 colleges (enrolled at 2.5 and non-enrolled at 4.3) and is admitted to 3.2 colleges (enrolled at 2.2 and non-enrolled at 3.8).
9. The survey supports previous information regarding SWT’s “overlap” institutions. The top five institutions to which other students apply are the University of Texas (34%), Texas A & M (34%), Texas Tech (17%), Stephen F. Austin State (12%), and the University of North Texas (12%).
10. Over 50% of the non-enrolling high achieving students associated back up school with SWT.

Responses from the Spring 2001 Campus Climate Survey:

1. Overall, comfort levels with others who differ in race/ethnicity, sex, ability, or sexual orientation increased from 1998 too 2001.
2. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of students are very comfortable with students of a different race or ethnicity than their own.
3. Half (50%) of students are very comfortable with students of a different sexual orientation, and 26 percent are moderately comfortable. Females are more comfortable than males with students of different sexual orientation (55 percent of females are very comfortable compared to 39 percent of males).
4. Almost half (48%) of students are very comfortable with students with physical or learning disabilities.
5. Overall, students reported fewer experiences with discrimination in 2001 compared to 1998.
6. Sixteen percent of Black students perceive at least occasionally to have received less attention in class from a faculty member or teaching assistant because of ethnicity, compared to nine percent of Hispanic students and two percent of White students.
7. Levels of satisfaction with overall experiences increased the most among Hispanic females (from 66 to 77%) and Black males (from 60 to 71%). No Black males reported being “very dissatisfied” in Spring 2001, compared to nine percent in 1998.
8. White males are most satisfied (82%) with overall experiences, while Black females are less satisfied (63%).
9. Black females (76%) feel ethnic minority students are singled out in the classroom as experts on ethnic issues, compared to less than 60 percent for all other groups. This is down slightly from 80 percent for Black females in 1998.



10. In 2001, less than 36 percent of all ethnic minority students felt that someone assumed that they were admitted because of their membership in a racial/ethnic group compared to a high 80 percent in 1998.
11. While males (35%) continue to be least likely to support required courses about diverse groups.  More than 76 percent of Black students, both male and female, and 68 percent of Hispanic females support diversity courses.



12. Beliefs about financial aid continue to vary by ethnicity.  The majority of White students (84%) believe that more financial aid is available for racial/ethnic minority students, while 53% of Black and 35 percent of Hispanic students believe more financial aid is available for White students.
13. Black women’s satisfaction with administrators’ efforts to foster diversity increased the most of any ethnic/gender group between 1998 and 2001 from 36 to 58 percent.  In 1998, Black women were the most dissatisfied group with regard to diversity efforts by the SWT administration.  Black males’ satisfaction with administrators’ efforts increased from 37 to 55 percent and Hispanic males’ satisfaction increased from 59 to 72 percent between 1998 and 2001.
14. Students in 2001 agreed more strongly that the president and other SWT administrators provide visible leadership that fosters campus diversity with regard to gender, racial/ethnic group, and sexual orientation than did students responding to the 1998 survey.

Data about Fall 2002 Transfer Students:

1. Sixty one percent of the new SWT undergraduates are transfer students.  Of these transfer students, 33% are from four year institutions while 67% are from two year institutions.





2. Seventy percent of the transfer students are between the ages of 19-22 years old.
3. Thirty six percent of the transfer students come from the Central Texas region, 22 % from the Upper Gulf region and 21% from the South Texas region.
4. Sixty four percent of the transfers live out of town, 21% live on campus and 15% live in San Marcos.
5. The majority of the transfers, 58%, are classified as sophomores while 30% are classified as juniors.
6. Forty one percent of the transfers had a decision gpa between 2.50-2.99, 27% had a decision gpa of 3.00 – 3.49, and 24% had a decision gpa between 2.00 – 2.49.
7. The majority of the transfer students (56%) had came to SWT with college hours between 30-59 hours while 31% came with college hours between 60-89 hours.
8. The cumulative gpa for the Fall 2001 transfer cohort after one year at SWT is 2.67 and these students had a 79% retention rate.

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