The 1999-2000 Transfer Velocity Project (TVP) cohort of 147,207 community college students is used to develop both a college-level endogenous model, appropriate for applied research and guidance for campus action, and a student-level model. Survival analysis (Cox regression) is employed to evaluate the relative contribution of 53 student-level…

In 2002 the student finance system in Norway went through a major restructuring. The changes included an increase in student support and an introduction of progression-dependent grants. Using two student welfare surveys conducted in 1998 and 2005, the paper analyses the effect of the changes on the students. The analysis compares the risk of study…

This report documents the methodological procedures and evaluations of the 2008/09 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/09). RTI, with the assistance of MPR, conducted B&B:08/09 for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Chapter 1 describes the background, legislative…

Back-and-forth enrollment at different institutions--student swirl--and concurrent enrollment at two or more institutions--double-dipping--have become common experiences for students in the United States. However, empirical studies explaining student mobility are rather rare. This study examines how student departures from and returns to a single…

Concerns have been raised in the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) doctoral education literature regarding: (a) the narrowness of research preparation, (b) the emphasis on disciplinary silos, (c) the lack of competitiveness and innovation within and beyond academia, and (d) the role of graduate assistants. These concerns mirror those in…

This study employs administrative and survey data to assess the relationship between students' socioeconomic background and educational outcomes, using regression and quantile regression methods. We take into account the existing institutional framework which allows differentiation in the duration of studies among students. We examine the…

A highly touted feature of the so-called global "revolution" in higher education is the trend to use information technology to reach a broader clientele. Although there is evidence that students may be learning the material in on-line courses as well as in traditional face-to-face universities, how well students learn content is not the…

The current study examines the relationship between the SAT® College Readiness Benchmark with the outcome of graduation from college in either four or six years. The results indicate that the SAT benchmark is indeed differentiating between those students who graduate within four years and those who do not, as well as between those who graduate…

First-year grade point average (FYGPA) is an oft-referenced outcome criterion for assessments of the predictive validity of a variety of admissions mechanisms. Unfortunately, few studies examine the relationship between FYGPA and long-term outcomes such as graduating grade point average and six-year graduation. Influenced by Wilson's (1980)…

Using the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this study tested positively the hypothesis that college students are either likely to acquire debt above the national median or work more than 30 hours a week in order to graduate from a four year degree within six years. These results resonate with the theory of academic capitalism,…

Using longitudinal student data from 15 four-year (n = 3,072) and 13 (n = 788) two-year postsecondary institutions, the authors tested the effects of interest-major congruence, motivation, and 1st-year academic performance on timely degree completion. Findings suggest that interest-major congruence has a direct effect on timely degree completion…

This study examines the bachelor's degree attainment among students who first matriculate in four-year institutions but who then transfer to other four-year institutions. It constitutes a contribution to the research that has primarily studied transferring students who start at two-year colleges. This study uses Heckman's two-step model to correct…

This paper is a case study of a Master of Library and Information Studies degree program online option that has been unusually successful in retaining and graduating students. Design characteristics of this program that has maintained a retention rate of over 90 percent over five years are described and mapped to the literature on distance…

In this study we are using degree grades to assess academic performance in a Greek university focusing on social studies. Apart from the usual covariates of achievement encountered in the international literature, our estimation model is adjusted to take into account the institutional framework governing university studies in Greece. In this…

Different stochastic frontier models for panel data are used to estimate education production functions and the efficiency of Finnish general upper secondary schools. Grades in the matriculation examination are used as an output and explained with the comprehensive school grade point average, parental socio-economic background, school resources,…