We jointly model the application, admission, financial aid determination, and enrollment decision process. We find that expectations of admission affect application probabilities, financial aid expectations affect enrollment and application behavior, and deviations from aid expectations are strongly related to enrollment. We also conduct…

Here, the narratives of a group of non-traditional students who entered traditional UK universities are examined. A number of participants felt there was a kind of romance or exotic quality to the sights, sounds and smells of traditional institutions, which constituted part of the attraction. The process of becoming a student at an elite or…

This article examines the history, present, and future of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We begin with a brief review of the existing literature on HBCUs, considering common themes and how these institutions changed over time within a broader socio-historical landscape. In addition to historical information, we use a…

This article provides information to parents with kids considering an honors program or college. Suggestions include getting a guide book to look at the overall institution; finding the child's comfort level in terms of what size institution would be ideal; checking out the institution's Web site; and keeping affordability in mind.

This report examines the relationship between student loan debt and the manner in which that debt is described. It focuses on three forms of description: (1) monthly payments, (2) total debt, and (3) income after graduation. The authors used the term elasticity to describe the relationship between consumers' college choices and the retention…

Movies are a pervasive cultural influence on the lives of young men and women. One only has to utter the words, "double secret probation" to a college audience to understand the extent of this influence. Yet the large body of research in film does not draw on higher education research. We explore how college choice and adolescent development…

This study sought to identify institutional selection factors most influential upon small-college student-athletes. Mean scores for 229 freshman student-athletes from six institutions were analyzed using a modified Student-Athlete College Choice Profile Scale. The sample was also stratified by gender and sports-program categories. Overall, four of…

Choice of institution and field of study for a bachelor's degree in Israel was found essentially meritocratic although influenced by socioeconomic status (SES) as well. As expected, students of higher ability attend universities and those of lower apply to academic colleges. However, among students of higher ability, those of higher SES opt for…

In this article, the author argues that traditional college entrance requirements exercise a detrimental effect on other elements of the educational system. She begins by looking at the way that the entire K-12 system is skewed toward meeting the needs of those students headed for selective colleges and universities and the way less successful…

Every year the college rankings in "U.S. News & World Report" raise voices disparaging the rankings' methods, validity and contribution to status-driven consumerism. Now, voices are rising against a September 2002 "Worth" magazine article, which ranks preparatory schools not according to the quality of education, but merely on which schools appear…

This report looks at the characteristics, educational experiences and the short- and long-term goals of senior-level physics and astronomy majors at a point just before their graduation. It examines the factors that influenced them to study physics or astronomy as well as what they considered important when choosing which institution to attend.…

In this article, the author states that no matter how experienced and exposed to life college freshmen may appear, no matter how sophisticated they may seem, they are vulnerable and unsure of themselves a lot of the time. The child in them grapples with the emerging adult; they are eager to enter adulthood but understandably fearful of what they…

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…

This paper adds to the small but growing body of literature which probes the complex decision-making processes undertaken by minority ethnic students, and particularly working-class minority ethnic students, when choosing a higher education institution. Previous studies have focussed on areas with ethnically diverse local populations. This article…

This paper uses data from the 1979 and 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth cohorts (NLSY79 and NLSY97) to estimate changes in the effects of ability and family income on educational attainment for youth in their late teens during the early 1980s and early 2000s. Cognitive ability plays an important role in determining educational outcomes…