This study examines the background characteristics of two large national samples of first-time enrolled freshmen who (a) attended college within their state of residence but away from their home community, (b) migrated to a college in an adjacent state, (c) migrated to a college in a distant state, and (d) attended college in their home community. The first sample included 32,351 fall 1966 enrollees in 796 colleges in 39 states; the second sample included 50,205 fall 1969 enrollees in 1,103 colleges in 45 states. These data provided the basis for an analysis of national trends in migration to college. The relationship of these trends to a wide variety of student characteristics, attributes, and backgrounds is also examined. The findings reveal that significant shifts in college migration patterns occurred over the period studied and that the four migration groups differed significantly on the variables studied. (Author)