It is possible to argue that higher education in the United States has evolved into a highly refined institutional-status hierarchy. Examines this hierarchy in both the private and public school systems with particular attention to the kinds of students attending these institutions. (Author/RK)

This report presents quantitative data from an ongoing longitudinal study, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, on degree attainment rates at institutions of higher education. The report covers national degree completion data for three time intervals--4, 6, and 9 years--broken down by institutional type, student gender, and student…