Admissions committee members often speak of "it" as an important consideration during the admissions process; however, empirical evidence documenting the efficacy of "it" as a basis for admission is scarce. The purpose of this research was to test the validity of student-institution it as a significant predictor of college success--specifically,…

Conducted five-year study of the various choices students (n=4,923) must make at each grade level in high school to make solid decisions about which college or university to attend. Findings revealed that parents played important role in formation of students' educational aspirations and in decisions about saving for a postsecondary education. (NB)

This book reports on a nine-year longitudinal study of the postsecondary educational decision-making process among a sample of high school students in Indiana. The study surveyed large numbers of students and also conducted in-depth interviews with a small number of students and parents. The book is organized into four parts, each with two…

This study focuses on the correlates of student preference for private institutions over public institutions in their senior year in high school. Results indicate that students' subjective responses to tuition costs and to financial aid availability are directly related to student preference for a certain type of postsecondary institution. (JM)

A three-stage model of college choice is outlined, and research related to the model is reviewed. The first phase is a developmental one in which students determine whether they would like to attend college. For students entering postsecondary studies, the second stage involves gathering information about educational options. The third state is…

A longitudinal study compared Indiana ninth graders (n=178) with and without postsecondary education plans. Results indicate decided and undecided students can be differentiated by the amount of time spent thinking about postsecondary options, amount of information received regarding those options, academic achievement, and student and parent…

A small liberal arts college's program of home visits for recruitment and admissions was evaluated. Forty students and several parents receiving home visits were classified by grades and eventual enrollment in the college, then surveyed. Results indicate the visits were the reason most applied. However, other factors were more strongly related to…

This study examined the correlates of high school students' preferences in their senior year to attend private or public higher education institutions, and especially the effects of student sensitivity to tuition costs and to financial aid. The data analyzed were from a longitudinal study (n=482) of student college choice. The dependent variable…

A study investigated the variables associated with high school students' sensitivity to tuition in the college-choice process, interaction of tuition and student aid, relationship of family and student characteristics to this sensitivity, and the roles of student perceptions and student institutional connections in price sensitivity. Subjects were…

Current literature on status attainment and student college choice is reviewed, and a structural model of predisposition to attend college is presented. Data from 2,497 ninth graders attending 21 high schools in Indiana and their parents, analyzed using LISREL, support the model's usefulness in determining students' college choice. (SLD)

A model of college student choice for male and female ninth graders using LISREL is examined. Variables examined included parents' expectation regarding higher education for their children, parents' savings for college, students' discussion of college with their parents, and students' aspiration for postsecondary education. (Author/MLW)

A survey of 297 college-bound high school seniors and parents examined techniques for gathering information about postsecondary education and institutions. Students were designated as "highly diversified" or "less diversified" searchers; background characteristics and information-gathering behaviors of each were identified. High diversification…

The college-choice process is complex and affects many high school students, family members and public policy-makers, as well as institutions of higher education. This report provides an overview of the college-choice process for traditional-age students and examines how it has evolved during the last half of the 20th century. Material from the…

Enrollment management is discussed with focus on the expanding role of admissions professions and their increasing impact on institutional policymaking. Enrollment management influences the size, shape, and characteristics of a student body by directing student marketing and recruitment as well as pricing and financial aid. Attention is also…

The limited research available and the observations and experiences of college admissions officers suggest that college guidebooks and ratings have a small to negligible impact on the college choices of most students. However, many families buy the guides, and their publication is likely to continue. It is important that institutions provide…