ERIC Number: ED471742
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002
Pages: 43
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Access & Persistence: Findings from 10 Years of Longitudinal Research on Students. Informed Practice: Syntheses of Higher Education Research for Campus Leaders.
Choy, Susan P.
To answer questions about who goes to college, who persists toward a degree or credential, and what happens to students after they enroll, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted three national longitudinal studies to track students' through the postsecondary education system. These three surveys, the National Education Longitudinal Study, the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study, and the Baccalaureate and Beyond Study, provide findings about college access, student characteristics, and academic persistence. These findings show that today's college students are a diverse group. Thirty percent are minorities, 20% were born outside the United States or have a foreign-born parent, and 11% spoke a language other than English while they were growing up. Only 40% of today's college students fit the traditional mold of enrolling immediately after graduation, depending on their parents for financial support, and working only part time or not at all. About three-quarters of all college students now earn a paycheck. Findings about access show that a young person's likelihood of attending a four-year college increases with the level of their parents' education. However, taking challenging mathematics courses can mitigate the effect of parents' education on college enrollment. More at-risk students apply to college if their friends plan to go. The price of attending college, however, is still a significant obstacle for students from low- and middle-income families. The report identifies a number of risk factors that jeopardize students' staying in school once enrolled. Most students who leave college enroll again within 6 years, but they often enroll at a different institution. (Contains 16 figures and 29 references.) (SLD)
Descriptors: Access to Education, College Bound Students, Diversity (Student), Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Longitudinal Studies, National Surveys, Student Characteristics
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Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American Council on Education, Washington, DC. Center for Policy Analysis.
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (NCES); Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A