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 attained degrees, transferred to other institutions, and left postsecondary education without attaining degrees. The report is based on the 1996/01 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, a survey that provides data about a nationally representative sample of students first interviewed in 1996 at the end of their first year in postsecondary education. When they began, the largest percentage (46%) had enrolled in public two-year (community) colleges. Over the 6 years covered in this report, 40% of the students who began in 1995-1996 were also enrolled in at least one postsecondary institution other than the institution at which they started. About one-third of the beginners transferred from their first institution, and 11% were sometimes co-enrolled. Of the three-fourths of beginners at public two-year colleges who said they intended to complete either an associate's or bachelor's degree, 31% did so within 6 years; 23% completed an associate degree and 13% completed a bachelor's degree. Among those who transferred to a four-year institution, 36% attained a bachelor's degree within 6 years of starting community college. Rates of completion are outlined for different groups of students, and differences in completion are described by enrollment and student characteristics. The characteristics of students who were most likely to complete a degree within 4 years fit the common perception of what a college student is like--well prepared academically, entered college immediately after high school, enrolled full time, and stayed enrolled continuously. Appendixes contain a glossary and technical notes. (Contains 137 tables, 7 figures, and 13 references.) (SLD)