The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), part of the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles has released the findings of its 2012 Freshmen Survey.

This annual survey examines multiple aspects of student life and expectations. The survey was administered to over 190,000 first-time full time students at 283 four-year institutions.

According to the findings, freshmen now value a college education more for perceived economic security and job-related reasons than for education incentives and the overall development of ideas.

The full report is currently available for purchase from the Higher Education Research Institute here. Snapshots from the report are also available through the Chronicle of Higher Education here. 

These new findings could prove beneficial to UK Universities seeking to recruit more US students, especially in light of the British Council Employability Report, which has shown that US employers value a UK degree as much as or more than a US degree. The full report is available here.