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Half of U.S. Grads Treated With Respect by Fellow Students
Education

Half of U.S. Grads Treated With Respect by Fellow Students

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Half of recent college graduates strongly agree that they were treated with respect by their classmates while enrolled in their undergraduate degree program. Graduates who completed their degree at a public or private not-for-profit college are the most likely to report they were treated with respect -- but about half as many graduates from private for-profit institutions (28%) say the same.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect During College
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by other students while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 50 35 12 2 1
Public graduates 50 36 11 2 1
Private not-for-profit graduates 53 33 11 2 <1
Private for-profit graduates 28 34 26 2 6
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

These results are based on interviews with more than 1,600 college graduates who completed their bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019.

Black Students Experienced Less Respectful Treatment by Fellow Students

White and Hispanic graduates are more likely than their black and Asian peers to say they were treated with respect by other students while enrolled as undergraduates. At least half of white (51%) and Hispanic graduates (55%) strongly agree that their classmates treated them respectfully, compared with 40% of black and Asian graduates.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect During College, by Race/Ethnicity
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by other students while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 50 35 12 2 1
White graduates 51 35 10 2 1
Black graduates 40 37 20 2 1
Hispanic graduates 55 29 14 1 <1
Asian graduates 40 42 13 3 2
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

Female and male students are equally likely to say they were treated with respect by other students while obtaining their degree.

Respect by Faculty, Staff Highest Among Private Not-for-Profit Grads

About six in 10 graduates from private not-for-profit institutions (61%) report being treated with respect by faculty members while enrolled in their undergraduate program. A slightly smaller percentage of graduates from public institutions (50%) say the same, compared with just 30% of those who graduated from private for-profit colleges.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect by Faculty
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by faculty members while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 53 36 8 2 1
Public graduates 50 38 9 2 1
Private not-for-profit graduates 61 31 6 1 1
Private for-profit graduates 30 43 15 8 5
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

Similarly, graduates from private not-for-profit institutions (66%) are the most likely to strongly agree that they were treated with respect by staff members -- while 53% of those from public institutions and just 31% of those from private for-profit colleges say the same.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect by Staff
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by staff members while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 56 30 9 2 1
Public graduates 53 32 9 2 1
Private not-for-profit graduates 66 24 7 1 1
Private for-profit graduates 31 36 16 10 5
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

Black Grads Least Likely to Report Respectful Treatment by Faculty, Staff

While about half of white, Hispanic and Asian graduates strongly agree that they were treated with respect by faculty members, only about a third of black graduates (36%) say the same.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect by Faculty, by Race/Ethnicity
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by faculty members while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 53 36 8 2 1
White graduates 54 36 7 2 1
Black graduates 36 41 17 2 2
Hispanic graduates 53 35 10 1 1
Asian graduates 50 40 10 0 0
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

Black graduates are slightly more positive about their interactions with staff members -- 47% strongly agree that staff members treated them with respect -- but they are still less likely than their peers to report being treated with respect by staff.

U.S. Graduates' Views on Being Treated With Respect by Staff, by Race/Ethnicity
On a scale of 1 to 5, in which 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree, please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: I was treated with respect by staff members while obtaining my undergraduate degree at [University].
Strongly agree 4 3 2 Strongly disagree
% % % % %
All graduates 56 30 9 2 1
White graduates 57 29 8 2 1
Black graduates 47 37 11 2 2
Hispanic graduates 59 25 11 2 2
Asian graduates 57 35 6 0 1
Among those who received a bachelor's degree between 2010 and 2019
Â鶹´«Ã½AV Alumni Survey, Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2019

Female and male graduates are equally likely to say they were treated with respect by faculty and staff members.

Implications

Respect is an essential component of creating an inclusive campus culture -- Â鶹´«Ã½AV research shows that feeling respected is for inclusivity to take hold. Unfortunately, black graduates report experiencing less respect from their fellow students and from faculty and staff members. And while these data represent recent graduates, the trend is unlikely to improve given the increasing rate of hate crimes reported at college campuses nationwide.

Being treated with respect by faculty, staff and fellow students is also critical to student retention, which has never been more important for colleges nationally amid concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic may curtail fall enrollment of current and prospective students.

These data are reported in conjunction with low rates of faculty saying they are , confirming the need for a sweeping focus on diversity and inclusion across U.S. college campuses.

Learn more about .


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