In a trend that began after the start of the recession in 2007, most incoming college freshmen now say their primary reason for going to college is being able to get a better job, according to a survey released Thursday by higher education researchers at UCLA.

The trend represents a radical departure from pre-recession years, when most incoming freshmen indicated that their primary reason for going to college was to learn more about things of interest.

Specifically, in 2006, before the current recession, the report states, 76.8 percent of incoming freshmen indicated that learning about things that interested them was “a very important” reason to go to college, whereas only 70.4 percent indicated the same for getting a better job.

Now, 85.9 percent say getting a job is very important, whereas 82.9 percent said learning more about things of interest was very important.

“I think that’s a big sea change, personally,” said Dr. Linda DeAngelo, a co-author of the report titled “The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2011.”

The report was prepared by DeAngelo and fellow staff at the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, or (CIRP), at the Higher Educational Research Institute at UCLA.

“Both of these things may be important,” DeAngelo said of learning more about things of interest and getting a good job. “But the ordering certainly seems attached to the economic situation that we’ve been in for the last few years.”

Dr. Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, said the report’s finding that the pursuit of better job prospects trumps learning for learning’s sake among incoming freshmen is consistent with other research as of late.

He also says the situation represents a conundrum for higher education but is, nevertheless, a new reality that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

“It’s something to be concerned about, because a well-educated citizen is important,” Carnevale said. “You can’t really participate in public dialogue without knowing some things and not necessarily things that will get you a job.