The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between college student participation in service, whether it be community service, volunteerism, or service-learning, and the level that the students self-identify that they demonstrated multicultural competency. This study also looked at what impact factors, such as gender, race/ethnicity, academic major, academic performance, family income, and parental education, have on the service-multicultural competency relationship. Finally, the study examined the relationship between other collegiate experiences, such as faculty interaction, cocurricular involvement, and exposure to racial/cultural awareness activities, and the student's level of multicultural competency. This study had three goals: (a) to determine whether or not participation in service has a significant impact on the development of multicultural competency, (b) to understand how background factors and experience impact the participation in service and the level of multicultural competency achieved, and (c) to understand how service participation compares to other collegiate environmental experiences in the development of multicultural competency. Kolb's theory of experiential learning provided the theoretical framework for this study. Astin's I-E-O theory of educational assessment and Sue's concept of multicultural competency provided the conceptual framework for this study.

The data for this study were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program 2003 Freshman Survey and the 2006–2007 College Senior Survey sponsored by the University of California at Los Angeles Higher Education Research Institute. The sample for the study consisted of students at private, 4-year, sectarian and nonsectarian higher education institutions who responded to both the 2003 Freshman Survey and the 2006–2007 College Senior Survey. Hierarchical multiple regression was the primary statistical tool used in this study.

The results of the hierarchical multiple regression suggest that service participation has a statistically significant impact on college student multicultural goals development and perceived multicultural competency development or changes during college. College student service participation was second only to ethnic experiences in college as a college experience predictor of multicultural goals development for the entire sample and third behind faculty interaction and ethnic experiences in college when looking at predictors of perceived multicultural competency development or changes during college. The results were similar regardless of institution type.