This report provides information about student enrollment in Illinois' community colleges. Comparisons with past enrollments and completions, and summary data for the four previous fiscal years (1996-1999), are also presented. Detailed tables comparing fiscal year 1999 and fiscal year 2000 credit headcount, full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollments,…

Investigated student attendance/transfer patterns and effects on student achievement at an urban university and three community colleges. Examination of student records (n=504) found 80 percent of students fell within six attendance patterns. On average, 80 percent of transfer credits were accepted by the university. Patterns in grade point…

Recent government intervention in research higher degree policy across the globe has sharpened universities' focus on the quality of their students' research education experience and on timely completion rates. Studies have sought to highlight the factors that predict research students' timely completion of their studies. Many universities have…

A survey was conducted of the parents of 1992 and 1993 baccalaureate graduates who were enrolled for more than eight regular academic year semesters before earning their degrees. Approximately 350 students were included as graduates from a major, public research university in the Southeast. Parents were selected as the research subjects because…

This study examined the matriculation status of all fall term 1993 master's level students of the Center for Psychological Studies of Nova Southeastern University by fall term 1998, differentiating between campus-based students and distance education students at individual sites. Data on matriculation rates were obtained on 382 campus-based…

Analysis of 258 responses to a survey of undergraduate students in good standing at a college of business administration who did not return for the fall 1996 semester, found no single critical causal factor. It was found that many of these students had previously dropped out, suggesting that they were stopping out rather than dropping out. (DB)

The Task Force on Graduate Education in Physics (TFGE), an ad hoc committee convened jointly by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the American Physical Society (APS), has studied the current status of graduate education in physics Ph.D. programs, and has made recommendations based on what was found. The findings indicate that…

Students who were awarded university fellowships for their first year of study at a major research university were compared to nonfellowship students. The students' completion of the Ph.D. and the time required to obtain the degree were assessed. Data for about 3,200 Northwestern University students were analyzed. Three models were developed for…

This study of the State University System of Florida examined the relationship of demographic factors and college performance to various types and amounts of financial aid, student employment rates, and earnings of employed students. The state's unemployment insurance wage records were used to identify employed students, the university's financial…

This study investigated the effects of several variables on time-to-degree using a structural equation modeling approach. It examined influences upon time-to-degree for all students earning Bachelor's Degrees in 1998-99 at one university. Dependent variables were total elapsed semesters to degree attainment and total semesters enrolled. Data on…

Examines the argument that the majority of postsecondary students require more than four years to complete baccalaureate programs. Reports that students who transfer from another institution generally require even more time. Finds that variance in time to degree is explained by demographic factors unique to the student. (Contains 14 references.)…

Asserting that graduation and stopout are "competing" or correlated events and that they often should be modeled as such, this study demonstrated that factors affecting timely graduation (e.g., financial aid) often have time-varying effects, and that ignoring these time-varying effects can lead to spurious conclusions that may result in…

Data from all Ph.D. students in four fields at Cornell University, 1962-1986, showed that students with fellowships or research assistantships had higher completion rates and took less time to complete their degrees than did than those with teaching assistantships, tuition waivers, or self-support. (SK)

Examined why graduate students take longer to complete humanities and social sciences degrees than natural sciences degrees. Found that field differences in knowledge structures and the organization of research have significant implications for research training. "Hard" fields have a directed supervision model and close relationship…

This accountability report documents the time-to-degree of community college transfer students into the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC). It serves as a baseline measurement against which subsequent examinations can be compared. The Commission measured degree attainment of two separate groups of community…