College Student Thriving: An Examination of Undergraduate, Adult, and Graduate Students’ Experiences in Christian Colleges and Universities

Abstract

This study of 12,851 students from 34 member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities examined the predictors of student thriving, as well as racial and ethnic differences in thriving and its predictors, within undergraduate, adult, and graduate student samples. Thriving was defined as being vitally engaged in the college experience intellectually, interpersonally, and psychologically. Structural equation modeling was conducted to determine the fit of a hypothesized model of student thriving for each student population, and independent samples t-tests were conducted to assess whether significant racial and ethnic differences existed in each sample. The results indicated that undergraduate and adult professional learners who are students of color report significantly lower levels of thriving than White students in CCCU institutions and report significantly lower scores on many of the predictors of thriving than White students do. However, students of color appear to be thriving in CCCU graduate programs. An exploration of the significant predictors of thriving for each population led to recommendations for educators and leaders of Christian colleges and universities to revise policies and practices so that all students can thrive.