The survey was sent to every accredited college and university in the country. Completed surveys were received from 543 colleges and universities representing every region of the country and a wide array of institutional types. Forty-five percent had put them in place in the past five to ten years and another 30 percent reported having their requirements in place for less than five years. The sample of AA institutions was somewhat smaller than the other institutional types. One-hundred and nine AA institutions responded to the survey.
Students require both global knowledge and domestic knowledge.
Given the diversity of kinds of academic programs offered at American colleges and universities, it is not surprising that this survey found a wide array of different models for diversity requirements. By far the most common model, however, is one in which students are required to take one course among a list of different approved diversity courses. This was the model chosen by 68 percent of the respondents. Seventeen percent of respondents require all students to take a single course with a shared syllabus and another twelve percent report having a diversity requirement within one or more major. While requirements seem to be a trend across the country, this survey did find some regional differences.