The major purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and needs of new female engineering students and to develop or modify programs to meet their needs. The study surveyed a nationwide sample of male and female engineering students of 16 selected universities and colleges to identify differences between these two groups of students and to collect accurate enrollment and retention data for this sample. Included are six chapters: (1) an overview of the study; (2) a summary of the survey results; (3) an analysis of enrollments and of retention; (4) a comparison of the survey population with the population of the United States' university freshmen; (5) a comparison of black women and white women engineering freshmen; and (6) policy implications for engineering colleges. A list of references, published reports of the project, and reports submitted to ERIC are also presented. (HM)