A study was conducted at Merrimack College in Massachusetts to compare the grades of students who took the recommended course as determined by their mathematics placement exam score and those who did not follow this recommendation. The goal was to decide whether the mathematics placement exam used at Merrimack College was effective in placing…

Information gathered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission's (MHEC's) automated student tracking system is analyzed to assess the transfer rate and academic performance of Prince George's Community College (PGCC) transfers to four-year institutions in Maryland. The first section examines the number of transfers from PGCC, providing a…

A model was developed of the choice-making behavior of students participating in postsecondary occupational education. The model was estimated empirically with data from a national survey of public or nonprofit institutions that offer such education, conducted in spring 1987. The survey involved 432 institutions and 3,330 students. Data were…

This study used multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) to assess differences among subgroups defined in terms of sex and undergraduate major area, and ethnic group and undergraduate major area, with respect to patterns of performance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) item-type part scores. Special subscores based on item types included in the…

Statistical trends in the characteristics of registrants for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) are presented. Areas of focus are: registrations (registration volumes have increased dramatically over time); worldwide age distribution (the percentage of older test registrants has increased); world distribution (there has been a…

Academic persistence at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) was studied from fall 1979 through spring 1983. Attention was directed to the school's graduation rate and correlations between sex, race, major, grade point average (GPA) and persistence. Of the 1,043 students who were beginning freshmen in 1979, the study sample consisted of…

A study at a university with strong mathematics/science curricula found that at matriculation, women and men had similar high school rank, women had lower mathematics test scores; most majored in science or engineering; women had higher undergraduate degree completion rates at four years; and grade point averages differed little. (MSE)

An academic characteristics profile database for freshmen at the Pennsylvania State University is briefly described. The database was constructed through the Freshman Testing, Counseling, and Advising Program (FTCAP), which is designed to assist new freshmen in evaluating their educational plans by providing them, prior to initial registration, a…

A 5-year longitudinal study was conducted in Illinois to follow 9,757 of the 10,273 students transferring from two-year colleges to senior colleges and universities in Illinois in fall 1979. The study sought to identify the number and mobility patterns of Illinois two-year college students; to investigate the pre-transfer characteristics of these…

Data collected in a fall 1975 survey of the spring 1974 graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) were used to analyze the effects that various student characteristics have on the selection of post-college activities by bachelor's degree graduates. A 25-percent stratified, random sample was used with a response rate of…

This study of fall 1973 entering freshmen (4,544) at San Jose City College (SJCC), duplicating and expanding on a previous study, was conducted to determine whether the college successfully prepares students for the job market or for transfer to four-year institutions. Data on a random sample of 450 students (221 day, 229 evening) were obtained…

The transcripts of 82 Los Angeles City College (LACC) students who transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in Fall 1978 were analyzed to determine: (1) student demographic characteristics; (2) the number of semesters students had completed at LACC; (3) the last high school the students had attended; (4) the collegiate…

This report examines the association between institutional characteristics and the earnings of recent college graduates five years after graduation. Data from the 1980 High School and Beyond (HS&B) survey were combined with information about courses, grades, credits, and credentials contained in the Postsecondary Education Transcript Study, a…

Entering freshmen in 13 fields of study were compared longitudinally on demographic characteristics, high school achievement, college selection process, ability to finance college, highest degree planned, academic expectations, career plans, and aspirations. Attributes of students in the humanities and nonhumanities were also assessed. The…

Having made "continuous improvement" the theme of its accreditation process a decade ago, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is poised to make "assurance of learning" the current focus of the faculty/student exchange. In this article, the authors discuss how to use standardized assessment tests…