Spiritual Formation in College and University: Do Students in Religious Higher Education Institutions Feel More Supported in Their Faith?

Enrollments in religious higher education institutions have increased in recent years. Leaders of these institutions often cite students' desire to attend a college or university supportive of their faith as a reason for enrolling. However, limited research has been done on whether religious colleges and universities are more supportive of faith than secular institutions. We analyze a sample of private Christian school alumni and compare perceived faith support of students who attended a religious higher education institution with similar students who attended a secular institution. We find students of religious higher education institutions reported significantly higher levels of feeling supported (roughly 1.2 standard deviations) or strengthened in their faith (roughly 0.4 standard deviations) and significantly lower levels of feeling attacked for their faith (roughly 0.8 standard deviations). Differences are particularly pronounced for students who report having been a Christian for many years and for students who attend religious services weekly or more frequently.