This manual familiarizes data users with the procedures followed for data collection and processing of the second follow-up student component of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), with the corollary objective of providing necessary documentation for use of the data file. Chapter 1 presents an overview and history of the NELS:88, a national longitudinal study of the educational, vocational, and personal development of students at various grade levels. Chapter 2 describes data collection instruments, and chapter 3 considers sample design and weighting procedures. Data collection procedures, schedules, and results are in chapter 4, while chapter 5 describes data control and preparation, and chapter 6 reviews data processing. Chapter 7 describes the organization and contents of the data file and gives suggestions for using it. Seventeen appendixes provide supplemental information, and 11 figures and 40 tables illustrate survey findings and technical results. (SLD)