This study looks at when individuals consider postsecondary education, how they approach their decision, the different paths they decide to follow, the roles other individuals play in the process, and what information students seek and consider in their decisionmaking. This report focuses on the types and sources of information used during the transition from high school to postsecondary education, as well as the entry or reentry processes of adult students. This report consolidates and highlights what is known from the literature about the search for information about postsecondary education institutions and the patterns of information access and use among students with different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds and supplements this information with findings from focus group research. The research findings are organized into three sections, with each focusing on one of the three themes that emerged from the critical review of the literature and parallel investigations drawing on focus groups with 90 high school and college students, parents, and guidance counselors. The report concludes with a summary section. The three substantive themes are as follows: (1) The Stages of College Planning and Choice; (2) The Influential Role of Others; and (3) Types of Information Sought, Sources Used, and the Application of Information. The following are appended: (1) How College Cost and Financial Aid Influence the College Decision Process; (2) Summary Characteristics of Focus Group Participants; (3) Focus Group Protocols; (4) Focus Group Methodology; and (5) Selective List and Brief Descriptions of College Search/Information Websites, Revised October 25, 2007. (Contains 4 tables.)