Freshmen and seniors rated the extent to which PSU encourages contact among students from different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds. On average, freshmen and seniors found that PSU encouraged this type of contact "some" or "quite a bit". Their ratings were similiar with those of students from other urban universities and doctoral/research-intensive universities.

[Source: National Survey of Student Engagement Spring 2003.]

PSU students often had serious conversations with students of different racial or ethnic backgrounds from their own. PSU students were more likely to engage in these conversations than students at urban and doctoral/research-intensive universities.

[Source: National Survey of Student Engagement Spring 2003.]

PSU students frequently had serious conversations with students whose religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values differed from their own. The frequency with which PSU students engaged in these conversations was higher than that of their peers at urban universities.

[Source: National Survey of Student Engagement Spring 2003.]