In 2003, the landmark study “The Spiritual Life of College Students” was published. Therein, UCLA researchers surveyed more than 100,000 first-time college students from over 200 American colleges and universities to study their spiritual development.

The project leaders were concerned that American universities had “increasingly come to neglect the student’s inner development” and that an understanding of the “inner” dimension of students’ lives was desperately needed if universities were to fulfill their “broad formative roles” for American society.

The results of the study were groundbreaking. The majority of entering college students reported “high levels of spiritual interest and involvement,” having “an interest in spirituality,” and “believing in the sacredness of life.” Almost 50

See Full Page