Southern Regional Research Project S-114 was initiated to obtain a better understanding of why students select agriculture as a college major and to study the factors related to their career choices; as a part of this study, in 1977 characteristics of agriculture students at two regional state universities in Kentucky were determined. The similarities and differences between students at Murray State University and Western Kentucky University with their counterparts attending the 1862 land grant universities in the South were also compiled. Agricultural students at the two regional schools were more rural, had greater numbers of parents working as full time farmers, and had more parents with lower incomes and educational attainment. Twice as many took agricultural courses in high school. Sixty-eight percent of the regional state university students expected to farm alone compared to 29 percent of the agriculture students in land grant universities. When asked to respond to statements on women's rights and ecological issues, the Kentucky students were more traditional in their views. Tabular data on all groups of respondents summarize background characteristics, high school and work experience, factors and people affecting career choices, college activities, financial support, educational aspirations and expectations, occupational and income expectations, attitudes, and perceptions on the field of agriculture and agriculture students. (DS)