The graduate careers of nearly 5,000 Ph.D.-seeking students from 11 departments in each of 3 major universities were investigated with a special focus on minority students. Minorities and women were found to be underrepresented in graduate school, and to have generally lower candidacy and graduation rates than their white and male counterparts. In two of the three schools, foreign students had higher candidacy and graduate rates than did white Americans. Also, in two of the three schools, the percentage of foreign students increased substantially in recent years. A more general finding was that the candidacy and graduation rates in the 8 years following matriculation were higher in quantitatively-oriented departments than in the humanities and social sciences. In general, undergraduate grades and Graduate Record Examinations scores had only a minimal association with the attainment of candidacy and graduation. Among these academically select students, nonacademic factors may play a crucial role in determining who ultimately attains the doctoral degree. Eleven tables and 42 figures present study data. Five appendixes contain the study cover letter, a project description, a description of data requirements, 17 supplementary tables, and an empirical Bayes survival analysis. (Contains 42 references.) (Author/SLD)