In 2015, Idaho adopted the nation's first direct admissions system and proactively admitted all high school graduates to a set of public institutions. This reimagination of the admissions process may reduce barriers to students' enrollment and improve access across geographic and socioeconomic contexts by removing many human capital,…

The current study examines costs, measured by educational and general (E&G) spending, and cost efficiency at 252 public master's institutions in the United States over a nine-year (2004-2012) period. We use a multi-product quadratic cost function and results from a random-effects model with a first-order autoregressive (AR1) disturbance term…

In response to growing income stratification in higher education, President Obama convened a White House Summit in 2014 where over 100 selective institutions committed to increasing the number of low-income students on their campus. One way colleges proposed to do so is through partnerships with college access organizations like QuestBridge, a…

In this study, I capitalize on a natural experiment to examine the effect of federal Pell Grant eligibility on college enrollment for students who graduated from high school in spring 2004 and who completed the "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA). Data from the "Education Longitudinal Study of 2002" are used to…

Some of the errors associated with use of data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) are described, 1980 HEGIS and census reports of college enrollment are compared in tables of data, and a more cautious use of HEGIS data is recommended. (MSE)

A study investigated causes of initial interest in and attrition from natural sciences and engineering among 5,320 students entering 4 highly selective institutions in 1988, with attention to probable causes of disproportionate attrition of women. Reasons for high attrition were based on cognitive variables or the perceived "chilly"…

A study of constraints on university faculty productivity in the United States suggests that universities cannot expect major productivity gains without redefining faculty roles in research or teaching. Some economies of scale were found, but they do not necessarily represent increases in value of faculty efforts. (MSE)

A study of 420 multiple-transfer students enrolled at a large, public, urban university found that students moved along 4 transfer paths before enrolling at the university, where they comprised one-fifth of undergraduates. Paths differed on demographic, institutional, and interaction variables. Overall, they were academic achievers with high…

This study applied probability models in a four-year case study at a selective liberal arts college. The study found that, while admissions decisions matched institutional goals for student characteristics, discrepancies between acceptance and enrollment decisions frustrated the institution's efforts to achieve diversity and highlighted the…

Freshman satisfaction survey, enrollment, and academic achievement data were used by one college to develop a database providing a comprehensive set of outcome indicators and a model for the freshman experience, including institution-specific models of freshman satisfaction and retention. A longitudinal database is under construction. (Author/MSE)

A statistical prediction of National Research Council graduate department ratings in six disciplines (from faculty size and characteristics, student body size and characteristics, physical facilities, funding, and program productivity) found at least one measure of faculty or student size to be a significant predictor in all disciplines, and…

College enrollments in computer science, engineering, and business have increased since 1972, and decreased in biological and social sciences, humanities, and education. Above average high school achievement levels are generally found for declared college majors in science and engineering, with low achievement among education and business majors…

The study tested a structural equation model of community college enrollment patterns of White and Hispanic males and females and the invariance of parameter estimates among subgroups. High school preparation in mathematics and science (M/S), M/S attitudes, M/S enrollment patterns, parent education, encouragement, and high school grades were…