Using the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/17), this research study explores the persistence to bachelor's degree attainment of adult students. Specifically, this study looks at adult students who expected to earn a bachelor's degree or higher, and analyzes whether…

In this brief, the authors propose three measures of "early momentum" for two reasons: Research is beginning to show that these near-term metrics predict long-term success, and the metrics focus attention on initial conditions at colleges that are particularly important for solidifying the foundation for student success. While these…

This report provides a "first look" at selected findings from the 2012/14 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12/14). It is based on final data describing a nationally representative sample of undergraduates who entered postsecondary education for the first time during the 2011-12 academic year. BPS:12/14 covers the…

This brief report presents data on employment and postsecondary persistence and attainment of higher education students, based on data from the 1990 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, Second Follow-up. Major findings include: (1) five years after initial enrollment, 89 percent of students had worked at some time while enrolled,…

This report examines the participation of older undergraduates, above age 24, in postsecondary education using data from the 1989-90 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:90) and the 1990-92 Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study (BPS:90/92). It profiles older undergraduates and compares them with younger undergraduates with…

This report describes the enrollment, persistence, and degree attainment of students who began postsecondary education for the first time in the 1995-1996 academic year. It covers the experiences of these first-time beginners over a period of 6 academic years, from 1995-1996 to 2000-2001, and provides information about the rates at which students…

This paper provides initial results of a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of first-generation students, their college choices, their academic and social integration into the institution, their postsecondary persistence and attainment outcomes, and their labor market outcomes. The study analyzed data from the 1989-90…

This report, part of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, provides information about the three-year persistence and degree attainment of students who began their postsecondary education in 1995-96, with a primary focus on students who started at less-than-4-year institutions. The report finds that many of the differences in the…