At the same time students are paying more of their own share of college costs, many are becoming more serious about their studies, a new survey shows.
The survey of more than 200,000 first-time college students at four-year institutions was conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.
It found that the percentage of freshmen who took at least one Advanced Placement course in high school rose from 67.9 percent in 2009 to 71 percent in 2011. Also, 39.5 percent of students said they spent six or more hours a week studying as high school seniors, up from 37.3 percent in 2010.
The survey also noted a drop in the share of freshmen paying for college with grants or scholarships and an increase in those needing hefty loans in their first year of college.
