Skip Navigation Links

Student Computing Trends

Line graph of student computer ownership from 1992-2005. We stopped tracking computer ownership when the amount of non-owners was less than the margin of error. The level grows from under 40% in 1992 to more than 95% in 2005.

Graph of student computer ownership seperated by class, over time (1998-2003). Graduate students once owned far more computers than undergrads, but as time passes, we see the undergraduates catching up and surpassing graduate levels in 2002.

Student Computer Ownership by Date. Tracked until 2003, by then all classes of students had ownership rates of at least 90%. The rates increased as time passed.

A line graph spanning 1997-2006, showing the rates of students owning various tech devices. Laptop ownership has steadily risen over this time period from about 10% to about 65% in 2006. Desktop ownership was at about 55% in 1997 and increased to about 75% in 2001, but then began decreasing and is now at 45%. Cell phone ownership topped out at about 88% in 2005, but decresed to less than 80% in 2006. PDA ownership has been about 15% from 2002-2006. Portable music/video player ownship has risen from 35% in 2005 (the first year of measurement) to about 55% in 2006. Portable storage device owenership has risen from about 35% in 2005 (first year of measurement) to about 45% in 2006. Landline phone ownership dropped from 60% in 2004 to 45% in 2005, which were the only two years it was studied. Smart phones still hold only a small share rising from perhaps 1% in 2004 to 4% in 2006.

How Students Access the Internet (1998-2006). A line graph depicting the different ways student sconnect. There has been a sharp decrease in WiscWorld services, down to less than 10%. In 1998 the top three were WiscWorld (63%), InfoLabs (60%), and ResNet (30%). In 2006 they are Cable/DSL (45%), InfoLabs (35%), and Campus Wireless (30%).

2003 Powerpoint Presentation about Student trends