A new study comparing Adventist alumni from Adventist colleges and universities in North America with Adventist alumni who attended non-Adventist institutions reveals a clear and powerful truth: Adventist higher education significantly strengthens the faith and spiritual commitment of Adventist young adults. Adventist education helps form faithful disciples.
At our Adventist colleges and universities, we see this every day. We witness students’ lives changing as they experience Christ-centered learning, nurturing friendships, engaged faculty, and a campus community committed to faith and service. This research confirms that the environment offered by Adventist universities is not merely educational—it is transformational.
For our churches and parents, these findings matter deeply. They show that Adventist colleges are not just places of learning, they are communities of discipleship. The alumni study, done cooperatively between the Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU) and North American Division Archives, Statistics & Research — using Strategic Resource Partners, LLC as the research firm to conduct this study — in early 2025 (January – April), identified 31 core benefits, grouped into five major themes (shown below) where Adventist-college alumni consistently reported stronger outcomes than those who attended non-Adventist institutions.
Theme 1. Adventist Education Deepens Faith and Strengthens Belief
The spiritual differences between Adventist-college alumni and Adventists who attended non-Adventist schools were striking:
- More worship engagement: 1.4 times greater
- On-campus Worship Opportunities: Nearly 2 times greater
- Deepened spirituality: More than 2 times greater
- Opportunities for spiritual development: More than 2 times greater
- Deeper understanding of Adventist beliefs: More than 2.5 times greater
- Shared faith values: More than 4 times greater
- Christ-centered learning: 8 times greater.
These numbers show the powerful spiritual environment created on Adventist campuses.
Theme 2. Adventist Campuses Produce Stronger Christian Friendships
Adventist-college alumni reported friendships that continue to anchor their spiritual lives long after graduation:
- Friends who strengthened their walk with Christ: More than 1.6 times greater
- Friends who attended worship together: Nearly 2 times greater.
These peer relationships provide a support system that promotes faithfulness and ministry involvement.
Theme 3. Faculty Serve as Spiritual Mentors and Role Models
- Values and ethics integrated in class: More than 1.6 times greater
- Personal interaction with professors: More than 1.6 times greater
- Engaged faculty interested in student success: More than 1.7 times greater
- Professors who knew students personally: Nearly 2 times greater with alumni from Seventh-day Adventist institutions stating that 92 percent of their professors knew their names
- Faculty who shaped their spiritual lives: Nearly 4.5 times greater.
Adventist professors serve not only as academic guides but as Christian mentors and role models.
Adventist colleges offer an environment where the development of the whole person is a priority. The study found stronger outcomes among Adventist-college alumni in areas such as:
- Development of the whole person: Nearly 1.5 times
- Helped you integrate your faith with other aspects of your life: More than 2 times greater.
Theme 5. Purpose, Calling, and Commitment
Perhaps most importantly for our congregations, Adventist-college alumni graduate with:
- Sense of purpose: More than 1.2 times greater
- Strong moral principles: Nearly 1.3 times greater
- Sense of God’s calling: Nearly 2 times greater.
These are the future Sabbath School teachers, youth leaders, elders, deacons, musicians, pastors, missionaries, and servant-leaders in our churches.
A Message for Churches and Parents
This study demonstrates what many of us have witnessed for decades: Adventist education is one of the most effective ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for forming lifelong disciples of Jesus. Our colleges and universities strengthen the future of Adventist congregations—one student at a time.
For parents seeking an education rooted in Scripture, strengthened by community, and aligned with God’s calling, the message of this study is unmistakable: Our colleges and universities provide a transformative educational experience—one that shapes students today and for eternity. The investment is an eternal one.
— Ken Shaw, Ed.D., is president of AACU and Southern Adventist University. To learn more, reach out to Marc Grundy, NAD director of marketing for Higher Education at [email protected].
