Introduction

About The Data Buddies Survey

The CRA Data Buddies Survey (DBS), managed by the CRA Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP), is a rich data source providing important information to the community on the state of computing in higher education. After two years of piloting in 2011-2012, participating Data Buddy departments have been distributing the survey to undergraduate and graduate students in computing-related degree programs, as well as students completing non-degree programs, since 2013. In 2014, CERP added a longitudinal component to its data collection efforts and started recruiting cohorts of students to complete follow-up surveys on an annual basis. With this expansion, DBS also collects data from individuals who graduate from their degree program and enter the workforce.

About CERP

The Computing Research Association’s (CRA) Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP) is a research and evaluation center whose mission is to promote diversity in computing. CERP serves as a resource for the computing community by supporting efforts to recruit and retain individuals considered underrepresented in computing or historically marginalized (i.e., women; people who are Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous and First Nations, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; persons with disabilities; persons from low-income backgrounds; first generation college students; LGBTQIA+ individuals; and veterans). More generally, CERP strives to inform the computing community about patterns of entry, subjective experiences, persistence, and success among individuals involved in academic programs and careers related to computing.

CERP was created by the Committee on the Status of Women in Computing Research (CRA-W)/Coalition to Diversify Computing (CDC) Alliance through a National Science Foundation grant to the Computing Research Association (CNS-1246649). For more information about CERP, visit https://cra.org/cerp/. You can reach CERP Staff at .

Important Definitions

Below are some definitions of abbreviations or terms that are used throughout the report:

General Terms

  • DBS: Data Buddies Survey

  • High Response Rate institutions: Institutions that had a response rate of 20% or greater, based on the number of students to whom they distributed the survey.

  • CRA member institutions: While participation in the Data Buddies Survey is not limited to CRA members, a majority of our participating institutions are CRA members.

  • MSIs: Minority Serving Institutions. From our participating institutions, this includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).

Student Terms

  • BHN: “African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), and Native American/Alaskan Native.” In line with recent discussions about race and ethnicity within the computing community, we have followed recent recommendations to update how we refer to diverse groups of students, particularly students who are underrepresented in computing based on one or more of their identities. Click here to read more about why we updated our language.

  • AW: “Asian, White/Caucasian.” In line with recent discussions about race and ethnicity within the computing community, we have followed recent recommendations to update how we refer to diverse groups of students, particularly students who are underrepresented in computing. Click here to read more about why we updated our language.

  • Undergraduate students: Survey respondents who are enrolled in an undergraduate degree at the time of their response. This includes both Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs.

  • Graduate students: Survey respondents who are enrolled in a graduate degree at the time of their response. This includes both Master’s and Doctoral degree programs.

  • Non-degree students: Survey respondents who are enrolled in a non-degree program of study (e.g. certificate program) at the time of their response.

  • Non-students: Survey respondents who are not enrolled in any program of studies at the time of their response. This includes program graduates who are employed in contexts such as academia, government labs, and industry; or who are currently looking for work.

  • First generation college students: Students who report that they have parent(s) who have not earned at least a Bachelor’s degree.

Institutional Characteristics

The 2023 DBS survey collected responses from 148 institutions (162 unique departments) across the United States and Canada between October 2023 and February 2024.

Geographical Distribution

Institutional Category Summaries

Below are overall summary percentages of the data collected in fall 2023.

Number of Responses by Source

Distribution Channel

Count Percent
Department distribution 15282 85.35%
Prior participant (direct email) 2623 14.65%
Total 17905 100.00%

Respondent Type

Count Percent
Undergraduate Student 12194 68.10%
Graduate Student 3750 20.94%
Non-degree Student/Non-student 1962 10.96%
Total 17906 100.00%

Department Type (Highest Degree Granted)

Count Percent
Bachelor’s 1390 9.12%
Doctorate 13068 85.76%
Master’s 779 5.11%
Total 15237 99.99%

Student Characteristics

DBS collects data from undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree seeking students, as well as non-student professionals. This section reports demographics and academic background of DBS respondents. There are three sets of tables for each section: undergraduate, graduate, and non-students/non-degree seeking students.

Demographics

This section provides information on DBS respondents’ demographic background in terms of race/ethnicity, disability status, first generation status, and citizenship. All tables are broken down by gender.

Race/ethnicity

Undergraduate students by gender and race/ethnicity

Women (%)

[n = 3383]

Men (%)

[n = 5668]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 381]
Arab/Middle Eastern/Persian 3.28% 3.76% 1.41%
Asian/Asian American 42.36% 66.18% 29.23%
Black/African American 10.91% 4.97% 7.75%
Hispanic/Latinx 11.32% 6.42% 9.51%
Indigenous 0.83% 1.09% 1.41%
Native American 1.33% 1.21% 1.76%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.62% 0.12% 0.35%
White/Caucasian 42.68% 22.91% 53.87%
Something else 4.35% 1.58% 2.46%
Graduate students by gender and race/ethnicity

Women (%)

[n = 825]

Men (%)

[n = 1278]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 65]
Arab/Middle Eastern/Persian 3.46% 2.19% 1.96%
Asian/Asian American 33.06% 66.67% 24.35%
Black/African American 9.81% 4.38% 7.61%
Hispanic/Latinx 12.93% 7.43% 6.96%
Indigenous 0.69% 0.78% 0.22%
Native American 1.73% 0.86% 1.30%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.60% 0.55% 0.65%
White/Caucasian 52.72% 23.32% 66.74%
Something else 4.45% 2.11% 2.61%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students by gender and race/ethnicity

Women (%)

[n = 266]

Men (%)

[n = 435]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 75]
Arab/Middle Eastern/Persian 3.67% 1.54% 5.00%
Asian/Asian American 30.45% 26.15% 12.50%
Black/African American 10.50% 3.08% 5.00%
Hispanic/Latinx 17.85% 12.31% 12.50%
Indigenous 3.41% 0.00% 1.25%
Native American 4.72% 3.08% 2.50%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 2.36% 0.00% 1.25%
White/Caucasian 54.59% 47.69% 48.75%
Something else 4.99% 13.85% 2.50%

Disability

Undergraduate students by gender and disability status

Women (%)

[n = 3265]

Men (%)

[n = 5441]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 361]
Attention deficit disorder 9.86% 9.76% 32.13%
Auditory disability 0.77% 0.83% 6.65%
Autism spectrum disorder 2.63% 3.05% 24.10%
Blind or visually impaired 0.34% 0.51% 3.05%
Health-related disability 2.27% 2.00% 7.48%
Learning disability 1.81% 1.40% 4.16%
Mental health disability 11.91% 5.48% 33.24%
Mobility or orthopedic disability 0.52% 0.86% 4.71%
Speech or language disorder 0.61% 0.97% 1.94%
Something else 1.84% 2.43% 7.20%
No disability reported 77.55% 80.63% 33.80%
Graduate students by gender and disability status

Women (%)

[n = 771]

Men (%)

[n = 1216]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 55]
Attention deficit disorder 6.10% 5.51% 34.55%
Auditory disability 1.17% 0.99% 9.09%
Autism spectrum disorder 1.30% 1.73% 23.64%
Blind or visually impaired 0.52% 0.58% 1.82%
Health-related disability 2.72% 1.81% 9.09%
Learning disability 0.78% 0.66% 5.45%
Mental health disability 6.87% 2.88% 38.18%
Mobility or orthopedic disability 0.52% 0.74% 1.82%
Speech or language disorder 0.13% 0.58% 0.00%
Something else 2.08% 2.30% 10.91%
No disability reported 85.21% 87.34% 29.09%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students by gender and disability status

Women (%)

[n = 239]

Men (%)

[n = 418]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 44]
Attention deficit disorder 12.11% 14.00% 24.49%
Auditory disability 1.17% 1.58% 10.20%
Autism spectrum disorder 7.81% 7.00% 32.65%
Blind or visually impaired 0.78% 0.00% 2.04%
Health-related disability 3.91% 2.03% 20.41%
Learning disability 0.78% 1.35% 4.08%
Mental health disability 14.84% 9.48% 38.78%
Mobility or orthopedic disability 1.95% 1.58% 4.08%
Speech or language disorder 0.39% 0.00% 2.04%
Something else 2.73% 1.35% 14.29%
No disability reported 67.19% 72.01% 22.45%

First generation

Undergraduate students by gender and first generation status

Women (%)

[n = 3206]

Men (%)

[n = 5329]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 354]
Continuing generation 72.24% 70.31% 70.34%
First generation 27.76% 29.69% 29.66%
Graduate students by gender and first generation status

Women (%)

[n = 762]

Men (%)

[n = 1183]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 54]
Continuing generation 75.59% 72.44% 85.19%
First generation 24.41% 27.56% 14.81%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students by gender and first generation status

Women (%)

[n = 246]

Men (%)

[n = 420]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 43]
Continuing generation 76.81% 77.83% 85.42%
First generation 23.19% 22.17% 14.58%

Citizenship

Undergraduate students by gender and citizenship status

Women (%)

[n = 3360]

Men (%)

[n = 5629]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 369]
U.S. citizen or permanent resident 87.53% 89.52% 86.99%
Non-U.S. citizen with temporary visa 8.66% 7.60% 7.32%
Other non-U.S. citizen 3.81% 2.88% 5.69%
Graduate students by gender and citizenship status

Women (%)

[n = 805]

Men (%)

[n = 1261]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 58]
U.S. citizen or permanent resident 35.53% 33.70% 74.14%
Non-U.S. citizen with temporary visa 59.25% 61.62% 18.97%
Other non-U.S. citizen 5.22% 4.68% 6.90%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students by gender and citizenship status

Women (%)

[n = 245]

Men (%)

[n = 424]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 41]
U.S. citizen or permanent resident 88.17% 86.13% 91.30%
Non-U.S. citizen with temporary visa 7.25% 7.16% 8.70%
Other non-U.S. citizen 4.58% 6.71% 0.00%

Academic Background

This section provides information on DBS respondents’ respondents’ computer science (CS) and math backgrounds prior to starting an undergraduate degree. All tables are broken down by gender.

CS Background

Undergraduate students’ pre-college computing activities by gender

Women (%)

[n = 3371]

Men (%)

[n = 5639]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 376]
Took AP Computer Science A 23.41% 26.23% 32.45%
Took AP Computer Science Principles 17.62% 19.42% 21.81%
Took AP Computer Science AB 2.79% 3.42% 3.19%
Took other AP courses 41.74% 37.38% 47.34%
Took dual enrollment courses 21.54% 18.92% 24.20%
Learned a computer programming language 40.26% 46.78% 53.46%
Engaged in software or hardware related projects 20.26% 31.69% 39.63%
Took part in student groups related to computing 19.19% 19.21% 28.72%
Completed an online course related to computing (e.g., MOOC) 11.39% 13.89% 13.03%
Attended a workshop or other training in computing (e.g., through your local library, community center, etc.) 13.85% 10.85% 21.54%
None of the above 21.89% 20.07% 12.23%
Graduate students’ pre-college computing activities by gender

Women (%)

[n = 792]

Men (%)

[n = 1243]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 54]
Took AP Computer Science A 17.68% 21.32% 20.37%
Took AP Computer Science Principles 7.70% 8.85% 7.41%
Took AP Computer Science AB 6.44% 6.11% 7.41%
Took other AP courses 22.60% 23.09% 51.85%
Took dual enrollment courses 8.46% 8.13% 14.81%
Learned a computer programming language 48.48% 55.59% 51.85%
Engaged in software or hardware related projects 31.69% 38.13% 38.89%
Took part in student groups related to computing 19.19% 21.32% 18.52%
Completed an online course related to computing (e.g., MOOC) 18.06% 19.79% 25.93%
Attended a workshop or other training in computing (e.g., through your local library, community center, etc.) 18.69% 16.98% 14.81%
None of the above 25.63% 21.88% 20.37%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students’ pre-college computing activities by gender

Women (%)

[n = 73]

Men (%)

[n = 152]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 14]
Took AP Computer Science A 19.05% 31.40% 29.41%
Took AP Computer Science Principles 10.71% 2.91% 0.00%
Took AP Computer Science AB 7.14% 1.74% 0.00%
Took other AP courses 42.86% 50.00% 70.59%
Took dual enrollment courses 26.19% 25.58% 23.53%
Learned a computer programming language 44.05% 59.30% 52.94%
Engaged in software or hardware related projects 21.43% 41.28% 52.94%
Took part in student groups related to computing 19.05% 26.74% 29.41%
Completed an online course related to computing (e.g., MOOC) 10.71% 12.21% 11.76%
Attended a workshop or other training in computing (e.g., through your local library, community center, etc.) 10.71% 11.63% 5.88%
None of the above 21.43% 14.53% 11.76%

Math Background

Undergraduate students’ pre-college math background by gender

Women (%)

[n = 3363]

Men (%)

[n = 5642]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 374]
Algebra I 88.28% 85.08% 88.24%
Algebra II 83.20% 80.36% 83.69%
Trigonometry 60.04% 59.75% 60.70%
Pre-calculus 83.50% 80.49% 78.88%
Calculus 65.09% 60.65% 65.51%
Statistics 47.04% 42.17% 39.30%
None of the above 1.28% 2.00% 2.41%
Graduate students’ pre-college math background by gender

Women (%)

[n = 796]

Men (%)

[n = 1242]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 53]
Algebra I 79.52% 79.15% 86.79%
Algebra II 69.60% 70.45% 81.13%
Trigonometry 72.24% 73.59% 71.70%
Pre-calculus 70.23% 70.69% 77.36%
Calculus 71.36% 73.91% 73.58%
Statistics 62.94% 63.61% 41.51%
None of the above 5.78% 7.25% 3.77%
Non-students/non-degree seeking students’ pre-college math background by gender

Women (%)

[n = 73]

Men (%)

[n = 152]

Non-binary (%)

[n = 14]
Algebra I 90.48% 87.86% 82.35%
Algebra II 85.71% 84.97% 82.35%
Trigonometry 71.43% 78.03% 64.71%
Pre-calculus 77.38% 82.08% 76.47%
Calculus 78.57% 66.47% 88.24%
Statistics 51.19% 49.13% 35.29%
None of the above 2.38% 4.62% 5.88%

Acknowledgements

DBS is currently supported through the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards CNS-1840724, CNS-2036717, DUE-1821136, subawards and contracts, and direct CRA contributions. Previous NSF awards that supported DBS include CNS-1246649 and DUE-1431112.

Suggested Citation

Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (2024). “Data Buddies Survey 2023 Annual Report”. Computing Research Association, Washington, D.C.