Religion, College Grades, and Satisfaction among Students at Elite Colleges and Universities

Abstract

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, a sample of nearly 3,924 students at 28 of the most selective college and universities in the United States, this paper tests hypotheses about religion, academic performance, and satisfaction at college. Two measures of religiosity— attending religious services every week or more and a 1 to 10 scale of observance of one’s religious traditions and customs—increase the amount of hours students report spending on academic work and extracurricular activities, as well as reduce the hours students report going to parties. Even when controlling for time spent partying, studying and in extracurricular activities, regular attend-ance at religious services increases academic achievement. Finally, students who attend religious ser-vices weekly and those who are more observant of their religious traditions also report being more satisfied at college. Key words: religion; higher education; educational attainment; secularization. COLLEGE STUDENTS AND RELIGION The Chronicle of Higher Education has reported that on many college cam-puses, including selective state universities, small liberal arts colleges and Ivy League universities, organized religion is alive and well (Bartlett 2005; Jaschik 1994). Even the religious group most likely thought to be nearly absent from elite secular higher education—Evangelicals—appear to be present and even to thrive in elite college settings (Lindsay 2008). Despite increasing attention to religion on college campuses, it is difficult to discern whether college students’ religiosity is actually a new phenomenon or if religious students have simply become more vocal of late. One possible explanation for the apparent rise of religiosity on college campuses could that more African Americans, Latinos,