Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) could be a leading cause of death in American youth before the end of this century. Awareness is the starting point in preventing the spread of the AIDS epidemic. Infection from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is absolutely preventable if people are aware of the potential for becoming infected and act accordingly. This project was born out of the desire to assess one student population's level of awareness regarding AIDS, and to direct the institution's efforts in this student populations' understanding of AIDS. The project was conducted at a regional state higher education institution of 2,800 (mostly commuter) students. Survey questions fell into four categories: how AIDS is contracted; how AIDS affects individuals and groups; how to protect oneself from AIDS; and general information regarding AIDS. The Nursing Division was expected to score higher than other divisions due to the nature of the curriculum. Nursing students outscored all other divisions within the college. A relationship was found between age and the AIDS knowledge score. Younger students had lower scores than older students, which reflects less knowledge of AIDS. The higher scores of older students possibly reflect more of a concern for the future of a younger generation of students. (LLL)