One paper in a collection of working papers in the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this study includes and explains a survey designed to assess the major factors affecting access and persistence of all students in Arizona's three public universities as perceived by the Students. A randomly selected sample of students in the major ethnic groups at each university was used. Data are grouped by ethnicity and by institution. Some of the major findings are as follows: the largest class of students are seniors, and the majority of students are single; the weakest skill area for all groups is mathematics; the majority of students live with both natural parents until age 18; the most frequently cited college of attendance prior to the present university is a community college; only a few students participate in campus activities; almost three-fourths of the students, regardless of ethnicity and university, sought aid from the office of financial aid; among ethnic groups, Blacks are most likely to have an academic advisor for program assistance and Asians are least likely; one-fourth of the respondents use career placement services; and, with regard to popularity with members of the opposite sex, Native Americans and Asians are the least comfortable and Blacks and Hispanics have the most friends. Eleven appendices provide statistics on general characteristics, high school preparation, home environment, education prior to entering the university, campus activities, financial aid, campus support (academic and social), financial aid, personal attention, and self-concept. (SM)