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Five shifts among college freshmen: For one, they're more studious

A survey of college freshmen reports an uptick in study time and a bit less partying. Here's a look at ways first-time freshmen depart from previous freshman classes.

4. Less help from grants and scholarships

Butch Dill/AP/File
Students attend graduation ceremonies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in August. The number of borrowers defaulting on federal student loans has jumped sharply, the latest indication that rising college tuition costs, low graduation rates, and poor job prospects are getting more students over their heads in debt.

  • By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo Staff writer

Some 69.5 percent of freshmen reported having some grants or scholarships to help finance college, down from 73.4 percent in 2010. Those receiving more than $10,000 in grants or scholarships also dropped a few points, to 26.8 percent. 

The percentages receiving financial help from family and college loans held relatively steady from last year, though they have grown substantially over a longer time frame. Since 2001, the percentage of students taking out more than $10,000 in loans has more than doubled, to 13.3 percent. 

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