This report provides guidance and documentation for users of the combined base-year to third follow-up data of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). ELS:2002 is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. The base-year and follow-up studies…

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) tracks the educational and developmental experiences of a nationally representative sample of high school sophomores in the United States. This First Look report provides a descriptive portrait of these 2002 tenth-graders a decade later, when most were about 26 years old and had been out of high…

The author compares new estimates of college dropout rates with earlier studies, examines trends in enrollment rates and degree awards, and presents estimates of enrollment inflows and outflows. (SK)

Changes in high school graduates' college choices between 1972 and 1980 were investigated, with attention to the importance of different enrollment influences and the distribution of these influences. Analysis of the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972 and the High School and Beyond (HSB) surveys revealed that 46.4%…

The data collected from the in-school and three follow-up surveys of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 have been merged and processed. Results are being presented in a series of reports designed to highlight selected findings in educational, career, and occupational development. This report focuses on students who…

Explores whether benefits of attending an elite college have kept pace with rising costs. Examines whether undergraduate college quality affects probability of attending graduate school, using data on three student cohorts from two national longitudinal studies. Generally, attending an elite private college significantly increases the probability…

Information on college applications, acceptances, financial aid, and attendance is presented based on base-year and first follow-up data for the National Longitudinal Study and the High School and Beyond Study of the Federal Center for Education Statistics. The focus is on changes that occurred between 1972 and 1980 in the two senior cohorts. Many…

Information from the National Longitudinal Study (1972 seniors), the High School and Beyond Study (1980 seniors and sophomores) and the Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (1984) is analyzed to compare the patterns of enrollment, persistence, and attainment among these groups from their high school graduation until 1986. Subgroups by sex,…

Using two complimentary data sets, the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and the Study of Academic Prediction and Growth, the conventional interpretation of educational plans as motives and thus determinants of educational attainment is questioned. It was found that when questioned about their educational loans: (1) as…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, this study of 3,171 individuals 13-14 years after high school graduation found, when educational attainment is held constant, students initially enrolling in a 2-year vs. 4-year colleges are not significantly disadvantaged in occupational and economic attainments.…

Results of a study of trends in college-going decisions of new high school graduates between 1972 and 1980 are presented, along with a model of college choice. The focus is the choice between college and noncollege options. Based on a review of empirical and theoretical work on college choice over the past 25 years, information is provided on key…

The relationship between starting wage rates and level of education attained by young adults was studied, based on findings of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. According to 1972-1979 data, the greater the educational attainment of the young adults, the higher their starting wage rates. Although the wage rates of…

A longitudinal study of the educational paths of humanities majors was conducted with a sample of high school seniors who participated in the National Longitudinal Study (NLS) of the High School Class of 1972. Comparisons to the 1980 NLS seniors cohort were also made. Students completed a survey as seniors as well as four follow-up surveys. The…

Changes in the self-concept and career orientation of 10,759 members of a nationally representative sample of high school graduates was studied over 7 years. Objectives were to determine: (1) the degree to which changes in adolescents' self-concept and career attitudes were related to their level of involvement in postsecondary education; and (2)…

Characteristics and attendance patterns of persisters and dropouts from college and vocational/technical schools were studied, and a model of the persistence process was tested using data from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS), which surveyed high school seniors in 1972, with followup surveys in 1973 and 1974. Student persistence was defined…