The assumptions underlying the mass survey and student-based analyses supporting the widespread generalization that higher levels of education have positive impact on political behaviors and attitudes are challenged. Factors predating college attendance may be important in explaining political differences among populations of college-educated and…

Reports findings of a national survey gathering information on how high enrollments have affected engineering education. Data are presented on student/faculty ratios, enrollment increases, teaching loads, and salaries. (CS)

Reports on a study comparing the attrition-retention rates of White and Black college students during the years 1973-1976. Results indicated that attrition-retention was not statistically tied to race, sex, or race by sex; however, attrition rates were consistently lower for Blacks than for Whites. (Author/MK)

Investigated longitudinal effects of being a first-generation college student on attrition. Results indicated that first-generation students were more likely to depart than their counterparts over time. After controlling for factors such as race, gender, high school grade point average (GPA), and family income, the risk of attrition was 71 percent…

Examined relationships of previous college attendance to changes in attitudes later in life. Surveyed adults at approximately age 40 and again 13 years later. Found that, for both men and women, prior college attendance was associated with acceptance of less traditional conceptions of gender roles and beliefs about God and lower feelings of anomia…

Used the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales, a nationally representative longitudinal data set, to explore student's routes to higher education. Found several complex individual and family-related factors influencing continuance in school and subsequent entry into higher education. For example, there is an important interaction between…

Examined attendance patterns of two-year college transfers to a public university, investigating how many students transferred with associate degrees. Students used two-year colleges in many ways to pursue baccalaureates, with 45 percent of students attending 3 or more colleges in pursuing the baccalaureate and 13 percent continuing to enroll at…

Explored why 30 percent of students admitted to graduate programs in Texas A & M University's College of Education did not register. Found that non-registrants selected universities to which they did not have to relocate or commute too far, and which responded promptly with acceptance decisions and financial aid offers. (EV)

Examines returns to university quality for a sample of students drawn from a national longitudinal survey. Returns differ dramatically across educational paths and university quality ranges. Observes a large, positive return rate for university and community-college transfers graduating from highest quality universities and insignificant returns…

The paper assesses the effects of offering upper-secondary students the opportunity to pursue vocational education in high school on completion rates and subsequent earnings. Analysis of international cross-section data found that nations enrolling a large proportion of upper-secondary students in vocational programs have significantly higher…

There has been a growing concern in both the law enforcement and public health arenas about the increase in the use of pharmaceutical drugs for nonmedical use, especially among young adults. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older questions related to their nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs,…

This study assesses the role of distance to school in the probability of attending university shortly after high school. Students who grow up near a university may avoid moving and added living costs by commuting from home to attend the local university. The distance between the homes of high school students and the nearest university is…

Background/Context: The analysis contained in this article was commissioned by the Social Science Research Council's Transitions to College project. Although the historical context and contemporary issues associated with English learners (ELs) and undocumented immigrant students are in many ways distinct, the project team strongly believed that…

At the conclusion of the spring 1982 semester, 893 students graduated from the Community College of Philadelpha (CCP). Only a few completed the requirements for their degrees in 2 uninterrupted years. In order to investigate the typical CCP graduate's movement through the institution, the attendance patterns of the 1982 graduating class were…

A study was conducted at the University of New South Wales in Australia to determine what happened to applicants who deferred enrollment in 1975 and did not enroll in 1976 at the university. Additionally, information was sought about what deferring applicants thought they had gained from deferment and their opinions generally about the advantages…