Undergraduates attending institutions with sticker prices of $12,000 or more and those with sticker prices below $12,000 in public research universities include a higher proportion of younger and academically prepared undergraduates. Differences in family incomes of full-time, first-year undergraduates in the two groups were not significantly different.

Full-time, first-year undergraduates in the two groups had different reasons for attending. For example, a larger percentage of full-time, first-year undergraduates with higher sticker prices indicated factors such as institutional reputation, financial aid, and job placement as reasons for attending compared with those with sticker prices below $12,000 in public research universities.