The University and Student Political Engagement

Abstract Prior research has identified a substantial positive relationship between college attendance and civic engagement. This article examines student experiences with university academics and ancillary programs to determine which of these, if any, motivate increased student engagement. Various student characteristics were evaluated to determine their impact on student engagement. Data was obtained from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Current Population Survey (CPS). Results indicated that engagement is related positively to some student college experiences, unrelated to some experiences, and even negatively related to other experiences. Few individual characteristics relate to engagement, ACT scores and gender both impact engagement, and, surprisingly, engagement was higher among men than women.