New survey looks at students’ values and expectations for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in college education.
Art & Science Group LLC has shared its findings from a survey of high school students planning to attend college. College-bound students on DEI: values, expectations and beliefs covers four key topics:
- What do students believe colleges can legally do around DEI and do they think DEI efforts are at risk?
- To what extent do students value DEI efforts, what efforts do they value and which students value them?
- What DEI-related activities do students expect to engage in once enrolled?
- How much does DEI impact students’ college choices?
Perceptions of legal requirements and political influence
Students’ perceptions on what DEI policies or initiatives would be ‘permissible’ was mixed due to uncertainty on a shifting DEI landscape nationally and at state level. For example, 44% of students surveyed believe colleges can consider race in admissions, despite this being explicitly prohibited by the Supreme Court in 2023. However, Matthew Mayhew, a Professor at Ohio State University said it is ‘not surprising that a substantial share of students still think colleges can consider race in admissions, as the federal ban on the practice is relatively new.’
Political tensions are a concern, with around 61% of students having a least some concern about these tensions posing a threat to DEI efforts. With levels of moderate or major concerns sitting higher for those from ‘historically underserved groups – including AAPI (Asian, American and Pacific Islander)/BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) LGBTQ+ students and women’.
How students value DEI initiatives
When students were asked about the importance of 18 specific DEI-related initiatives, the seven most highly ranked were: DEI security training (37% ranked as very important, 25% ranked as moderately important), policy advocacy (32% and 29% respectively), cultural centres, (30% and 31% respectively), equity partnerships (33% and 26% respectively), faculty DEI research (32% and 27% respectively), mentorship programmes (34% and 24% respectively) and DEI training (31% and 26% respectively). Students from under-represented groups and those with concerns about political tensions rated the importance of DEI initiatives consistently higher than of more represented groups or those who had little or no concerns about the impact of politics on DEI efforts.
Whilst there are differences in the ratings of the importance of several DEI initiatives between conservative, moderate and liberal students, there were some initiatives that showed no significant difference including: offering degree programmes focused on race, ethnicity and social justice; targeted admissions for under-represented groups; goals for increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the student body and faculty. As the survey’s conclusion explains, ‘the data reveals that students are not always as divided as the national conversation may suggest.’
When asked about the benefits of DEI, 80% of students said DEI efforts are beneficial to at least some groups, and 41% stated it benefits all groups.
Expected engagement in DEI-related activities
63% of students say they are very likely or somewhat likely to participate in these activities, including student organisations, workshops or campus events. There are differences between some groups, for example, 71% of BIPOC students expect to participate in comparison to 56% of AAPI/white students. Students who had substantial concerns about the future of DEI reported a higher expected participation of 76% in comparison to those with some concerns (60%) and no concerns (56%) . Additionally, varsity athletes had a higher participation expectation rate than non-athletes (73% vs 61%).
How much does DEI impact students’ college choices?
A whopping 80% of students said they want to attend a college that supports students of all races and ethnicities – and 76% of respondents said belonging was just as important as academics when choosing a college. Additionally, 79% of students stated they want to attend a college where students with different political beliefs can engage in respectful dialogue, and 77% said they want to attend a college where they feel represented and understood.
Michelle Samura, who is Dean of arts, humanities and social sciences at Santiago Canyon College, and a researcher who specialises in student belonging, shared that findings show students want to attend a college that welcomes and supports students from all backgrounds, and explains that: “The ramifications for those institutions is that there would be an expectation among students entering those spaces of some type of support and welcoming environment.”
However, these desires from students didn’t translate into proactive research when looking at colleges. Only 23% of students reported that they sought out DEI information at colleges they were considering. Interestingly, of those students only 18% found ‘helpful DEI information’ but 95% found the DEI information at least somewhat impactful.
Read the full survey findings.
Reference
- Art & Science Group LLC (2025) ‘College-bound students on DEI: Values, Expectations, and Beliefs’. Available at: https://www.artsci.com/student-poll/studentpoll-volume-18-issue3 (Accessed: 06 January 2026)
- Abdul-Alim, J. (2025) ‘What do college-bound students think of DEI efforts?’. Available at: https://www.highereddive.com/news/art-science-dei-college-student-opinions/808321/ (Accessed: 06 January 2026)
