The numbers that really matter — survey measures how engaged college students are, and Eckerd produces compelling scores.

Since 2000, The National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) has established itself as an invaluable tool for schools to measure the extent to which their educational practices are linked to the intellectual and developmental results that parents and students expect from higher education. Based on student responses, NSSE provides an inside perspective on the actual effectiveness of an institutions overall learning environment. As such, NSSE serves as a vital complement to institutional ranking systems focused on more impersonal indicators, such as faculty size, name recognition and total wealth.

Eckerd College has performed consistently well in NSSE over the years. The 2009 report continues this record with Eckerd senior students ranking higher than those at Carnegie Peer schools on four of five benchmarks. For NSSE 2009, Eckerd continues its tradition of performing exceptionally well in the provision of learning experiences that synthesize classroom instruction with hands-on, real-world applications whether these applications come in the form of study abroad, service learning or similar community-based learning.

94% of responding seniors noted that they performed community service or volunteer work during their tenure at Eckerd. 67% of seniors reported having studied abroad as part of their Eckerd experience.

A large part of community-oriented academics is the freedom of students to engage in some form of self-directed study, or to draw upon the diverse academic resources that surround them to create a program of study that lends itself to specific intellectual or social issues. It is no surprise then that 61% of responding seniors reported engaging in some form of independent study.