A guide to selecting a college is provided, with an outline of the steps to take for admission to and descriptions of 100 "best" colleges: those that devote their resources largely to liberal arts and sciences or engineering and science, draw 20 percent or more of their students from outside their regions, and retain 70 percent or more of their…

A guide for college-bound black students, which was researched and largely written by Brown University students, presents essays, book reviews, a glossary, and profiles of black colleges. The narrative section and authors are as follows: "A Collegiate Glossary" (Matthew Rose); "The Application Process" (Marvin Campbell); "Update: Federal Student…

The proceedings of the annual conference of the North East Association for Institutional Research, whose theme was "Planning for Quality," are presented. The 26 papers were divided into the following topics: admissions, assessment, enrollment, faculty and staff, outcomes, planning, programs and retention, the environment, and the field of…

The rapid growth of student consumerism in higher education is examined, including increased litigation against colleges by students and expanded federal efforts to protect student interests by regulating institutions. The consequences on teaching and learning of the escalating competition for student customers is analyzed. Chapters discuss: the…

Equity in the institutional choices of enrolling college students was assessed. The focus of study was whether students similar in educationally relevant characteristics, but dissimilar in ascriptive or socioeconomic background characteristics, attend similar institutions at similar rates. The study was based on multiple regression analysis of…

A guide for students seeking financial aid is presented. Students are advised to begin by assessing their position: what they like to do, what sort of lifestyle they want, whether their parents agree with the career goals, and whether their goals are realistic. Factors to consider in choosing a college are noted and a list of useful publications…

The applicability of the "benefit segmentation" marketing technique to education was tested at the College of DuPage in 1979. Benefit segmentation identified target markets homogeneous in benefits expected from a program offering and may be useful in combatting declining enrollments. The 487 randomly selected students completed the 223…

This paper examines the unique make-up of selective colleges as opposed to those with open admission policies, variances in individual colleges, and how Upward Bound students can be prepared for selective colleges. Some orientations of selective colleges have been described as realistic, scientific, enterprising, and conventional. All of these…

As the pool of outstanding college bound students has declined, the use of merit scholarships has increased as a means of attracting high quality students. When Boston University began again in 1974 to use merit scholarships, it decided to analyze how well the awards serve their purpose. The study showed that they are effective in increasing…

A guide for colleges interested in improving the printed information it provides to prospective students is presented, based on the experience of institutions that participated in a three-year effort to improve their informational literature as part of Project CHOICE. CHOICE, the Center for Helping Organizations Improve Choice in Education, was…

Selected issues to be considered by the 96th Congress regarding the Higher Education Act reauthorization are examined. Recently funded at approximately $5 billion, the programs of this legislation serve over 3 million students through financial assistance and nearly the full range of traditional higher education institutions and many proprietary…

The impact of selected aspects of the collegiate experience on changes in undergraduates' occupational preferences and personal goals is examined in this study. Two aspects of the college environment are assessed: the social structure and the students' perception of the institution's ability to facilitate the attainment of personal goals. The…

This study is based on the assertion that it is not enough for student aid programs to facilitate attendance at, and even graduation from, a postsecondary institution because the very means used may have a negative impact on students who benefitted from such aid. While student aid may equalize college attendance across students, it may not promote…

The impact of financial aid on the distribution of undergraduates among South Carolina's postsecondary institutions during the 1972-73 to 1977-78 academic years was studied. The major purpose of the study was to determine and to demonstrate how changes in educational costs, family ability to pay for those costs, and available financial aid…

The third in a series of four monographs, this study focuses on Black engineering students at Purdue University who persisted, withdrew, or transferred. A survey of the students was conducted to determine factors that influence retention and attrition of Black American students in engineering. A comparison of the pre-college and college…