A STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DISCOVER SOME OF THE POSSIBLE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR ATTRITION AMONG DOCTORAL STUDENTS. ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE WITH ABOUT 20 REPRESENTATIVE GRADUATE SCHOOLS TO OBTAIN NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF ALL STUDENTS WHO WERE ENROLLED IN POST-MASTER OR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS BETWEEN 1950 AND 1954. A LENGTHY QUESTIONNAIRE WAS MAILED TO APPROXIMATELY 8,000 PH.D. DROPOUTS IN THE SAMPLE. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ALSO MAILED TO ABOUT 7,000 STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED THEIR PH.D.'S DURING THE 1950-54 TIME PERIOD. THE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE ECONOMIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENTS DROPPING OUT OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS, AND TO OBTAIN INFORMATION WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN POSSIBLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES AND DROPOUTS. SOME OF THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS WERE--(1) ACTUAL ATTRITION RATES WERE 31 PERCENT (NOT AS HIGH AS ANTICIPATED), (2) MOST STUDENTS APPEARED TO DROPOUT BECAUSE THEY LACKED MOTIVATION, AND (3) DROPOUTS IN GENERAL WERE RECEIVING LESS INCOME THAN PH.D.'S, BUT IN TERMS OF JOB SATISFACTION ONLY MINOR DIFFERENCES WERE NOTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE RELATIVE TO PROGRAMS FOR REDUCING PH.D. ATTRITION AND ATTRACTING MORE CANDIDATES. (JC)