In 1992 the U.S. Public Health Service made the recommendation that all women of childbearing age consume 400μg of folate daily based on the existing evidence of folate's role in preventing neural tube defects. The purpose of this study was to determine folate consumption and knowledge among college students. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and knowledge questionnaire were administered and analyzed for 321 students between the ages of 18 and 24 at a midwestern university. Mean folate intake for the total sample was 447+/-270μg and 396+/-227μg for females (n=203). The majority of females (61.2%) consumed less than the recommended 400μg daily intake, and about one third (27.6%) of females took supplements containing folate. When asked what nutrient was associated with preventing birth defects, 43% of the total sample and almost half of females (48.8%) answered folic acid. Over half of the total sample (53.4%) and of females (59.1%) reported knowing there was a recommendation concerning folate, but did not know the amount recommended. When given five foods, few of the total sample (4.4%) and of females (3.0%) were able to identify the two most concentrated folate sources. For the total sample and females, there were no significant differences in estimated folate intake among students' with different responses to any of the knowledge questions. These findings suggest the need to educate college students on folate's relation to neural tube defects and how to obtain adequate folate in the diet.