The Center for Academic Faithfulness & Flourishing (CAFF) has released its inaugural Christian College Market Profile, a research report detailing the preferences of individuals most likely to consider a Christian college or university. The report draws upon data from the CAFF College Guide User Survey, which was completed by over 3,000 individuals representing all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Study results definitively show that the core of the Christian college market values faith-based commitment above all other institutional traits.

“Following the cultural upheaval of 2020, many sensed that preferences were shifting in the Christian college market, but those perceptions were largely based on anecdotal evidence,” said the report’s lead author, CAFF Executive Director P. Jesse Rine. “We now have large-scale empirical data confirming an emergent trend toward colleges that take their Christian faith seriously.”

The report, which is free to download thanks to the generous support of CapinCrouse, argues against the oft-employed marketing strategy of “soften[ing] the edges of institutional identity for public presentation” in order to “appeal to a broader cohort of students who may not share the college’s faith commitment.” The report warns that this approach “risks alienating the Christian families most likely to enroll” while diminishing the institutional distinctiveness “most likely to attract those who are not believers.”

Reflecting on the report’s main lessons, Rine remarked, “As a whole, American higher education is a beleaguered industry, but there is growing demand for Christian colleges that offer a real alternative to prospective families. Institutions exhibiting confidence in their unique missions and the courage to stand by their biblical convictions are more likely to reap an enrollment harvest than those that downplay their Christian identity. In the current competitive environment, being mission-centered is market-smart.”