Institutions of higher education invest countless resources in developing leadership skills in students; however, the majority of students choose not to engage in the collegiate experiences shown to develop the skills that contribute to success after college. In order to stay true to their stated missions and the needs of society, institutions of higher education need to find ways to engage all students in leadership development. Existing research related to participation in leadership development activities and leadership development among non-leader students is negligible.

The purpose of this study was to determine if students who have not identified themselves as leaders have similar perceptions of their skills typically associated with leadership as self-identified leaders when the exclusivity of the term “leadership” was removed. Further, this study explored factors that may be linked to students’ plans to develop their leadership skills, barriers to leadership development, and various circumstances that might encourage participation.

While the statistical analysis of the leadership skills scales showed there was a difference in perception of skills between four different groups of self-identified leaders and non-leaders, finding minimal differences in mean scores on all scales between student leaders and non-leaders indicates that leadership in-and-of-itself was an elite notion that impacts self-efficacy but not the potential for engagement in leadership opportunities. Removing the exclusivity of leadership from leadership development in higher education may open the door for all students to become engaged ultimately helping bridge the gap between the promises of higher education and the skill acquisition expected from the world beyond.