Youth workers devote a great deal of energy to creating and maintaining vibrant high school ministries in local congregations. But what happens to these students when they graduate and move away to college? Churches are expressing an increasing interest in the attrition rate of high school students involved in church youth groups as they graduate and transition to college and emerging adulthood.

Because of the growing national concern over students as they move away from youth ministries, we at the Fuller Youth Institute have launched the College Transition Project to study over 400 youth group graduates during their first three years in college. We are hoping to better understand the characteristics of youth groups that are associated with a healthy transition to college life and help youth workers develop those qualities in their youth groups. In the most recent study, our initial surveys reveal that during graduates’ freshman year, 44% significantly or moderately agree that “my college environment is helping me grow as a Christian” while 29% moderately or significantly disagree. Somewhat similarly, 42% of the students we’ve surveyed moderately or significantly disagree that “it’s been difficult to find a church where I feel welcome” while 29% moderately or strongly agree. While we are not yet finished with our study, this data (along with findings in parallel studies) seem to suggest that about 30-50% of students in youth groups struggle in their faith after graduation.

Eventually, this research will be translated into resources that youth ministries can use to help students and families better navigate the transition to college. For more information about our findings as we analyze the data, please sign up for our free monthly E-Journal by clicking the link in the upper left-hand corner of our site.

Certain subsections of the pilot version of the College Transition Survey are available here for free download and use in your youth ministry as appropriate. Please send us feedback on the appropriateness and usefulness of these scales. Use in any explicit research capacity must be approved directly by the Fuller Youth Institute prior to such use.

Narrative Faith Relevance Scale
Parental Faith Communication Scale
Religious Behavior Scale
Reasons for Going to Youth Group
Changing the Youth Group
Youth Group Activity Participation

To listen to an interview with Brad Griffin by Princeton Seminary’s Institute for Youth Ministry on the College Transition Project, please visit their podcast website.