Our multi-institutional study addresses the question: How do college students' backgrounds, collegiate engagement, and perceptions of the campus climate relate to the development of an activist orientation? Activism is framed as engagement in collective, sociopolitical action and measured using the Activism Orientation Scale (AOS). Meaningful engagement with peers and perceiving a positive climate for contributing to a larger community supported students' propensity to engage in activism. Two key findings were inconsistent with previous scholarship. Participation in service-learning courses and the climate for perspective taking were negatively associated with activism. Findings suggest heterogeneity among civic outcomes, recognizing that some outcomes may exist in tension.