The resources needed to conduct high-quality and large-scale survey research are often beyond the reach of institutional researchers and higher education analysts. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides many national student surveys that researchers can utilize. We outline four NCES studies--the High School…

Forty years ago, the National Center for Education Statistics initiated the national longitudinal studies program in response to congressional concern for policy-relevant information on school-to-work transitions. This program has grown substantially, and not unexpectedly, questions have arisen about its usefulness and present operation. This…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-Up 1996-98 (BPS:96/98). These students, who started their postsecondary education during the 1995-96 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996 as part of the National…

This report describes the status after 5 years of the diverse groups of students who first entered institutions of postsecondary education during the academic year 1989-90. It describes their economic and demographic characteristics, their educational objectives, the types of institutions they attended, their experiences while enrolled, and their…

Describes the design and methodology of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-up, including overall outcomes of data collection and evaluations of the quality of data collected. (SLD)

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the full-scale data collection effort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Second Follow-up Student 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001). These students, who started their postsecondary education in the 1995-1996 academic year, were first interviewed during 1996, and subsequently interviewed in…

This document provides a summary and evaluation of the methodological procedures and results of the full-scale implementation of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study Second Follow-up, 1990-94 (BPS:90/94). The study was conducted for the National Center for Education Statistics by Research Triangle Institute with the assistance of…

This report describes the methods and procedures used for the field test of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Followup 1996-98 (BPS:96/98). Students in this survey were first interviewed during 1995 as part of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 1996 field test. The BPS:96/98 full-scale student sample includes…

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…

The Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) study followed a group of students who began their postsecondary education in the 1989-90 academic year. The follow-up in the spring of 1992 explored the persistence and degree attainment of these beginners (approximately 10,600 students). As expected, many initially enrolled for programs of less than 4…