Resources > Data Briefs
Rating the Quality of Baccalaureate Institutions
Monday, January 4, 2010
In 2007, all of the LSAY participants that had attended college were asked to rate the quality of their experiences. In this data brief, we look at the participants’ evaluations of their undergraduate experiences at four-year or baccalaureate-granting institutions. In future data briefs, we will look at their evaluations of community colleges and graduate or professional schools.
A total of 54 percent of the LSAY participants reported that they had attended at least one four-year college or university. Of those participants, 78 percent attended only one college, 18 percent attended two institutions, while only four percent attended three or more four-year institutions.
Using a grading scale from A to F, the participants rated their four-year undergraduate institutions in the following areas:
(1) The quality of my academic program in my major field.
(2) The accessibility of faculty in my major field.
(3) The quality of preparation for my current occupation.
(4) The quality of my program for additional graduate or professional study.
(5) The opportunity to meet and work with other students in my major field.
Participants assigned the highest average grades (3.4) to the quality of their academic program in their major field, and assigned the lowest average grades to the quality of preparation for their current occupation (2.8) (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Average Grade for Four-Year Institutions, LSAY 2007 LSAY Study.
Participants with graduate degrees assigned the highest average grades to each of the five items, while participants who left college before obtaining their baccalaureate assigned the lowest average grades (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Average Grade for Four-Year Institutions by Participant Level of Education, LSAY 2007 Study.