Major findings are presented of the 1980 New Entrants Survey, which was conducted to assess the early experience of 1978 and 1979 recipients of bachelor's and master's degrees in science and engineering (S/E) fields. The results of earlier surveys of recent S/E graduates conducted in 1976, 1978, and 1979 and a 1981 rapid-response survey of industrial employers are also addressed. A stratified sampling procedure was used, including one stage for institutions and a second stage for graduates. The 1980 sample included 192 institutions and 27,750 graduates, and the overall response rates for bachelor's and for master's degree recipients were 58.3 percent and 50.3 percent, respectively. Findings include the following: the 1978 and 1979 S/E graduates achieved higher employment rates in 1980 than those reported by their 1974 and 1975 counterparts for 1976; of the new bachelor's degree entrants in the 1980 labor force, 96 percent were employed, inside or outside of S/E fields, compared to 91 percent 4 years earlier; at the master's degree level, the comparable figures were 98 versus 95 percent; the proportion of new S/E graduates in the labor force employed in S/E jobs was also higher in 1980 than in 1976; the employment rate for social science baccalaureates in all fields--both S/E and non-S/E--was 96 percent in 1980; women with S/E bachelor's degrees achieved essentially the same employment rate as men, 96 percent versus 97 percent in 1980; the demand for new graduates in computer science continued to be strong in 1980; and there was an approximate supply/demand balance in engineering and chemistry, although shortages occurred in some engineering specialties. (SW)