Education in States and Nations: 1991

(ESN) Indicator 11: Entry ratio to higher education

This indicator measures the number of new full-time entrants into institutions of higher education per 100 persons at the entry reference age within a state or nation. The entry reference age is generally one year older than the graduation reference age for secondary education. This ratio represents the proportion of a country or state's population that attempts coursework in higher education. Included in this indicator are data for U.S. states for first-time entrants by location of school and by location of students' original state of residence.

• In 1991, the United States had 45.8 first-time entrants into full-time public and private higher education per 100 persons at the entry reference age (18 years of age in the United States). Japan was the G-7 country with the highest ratio (53.1). The other G-7 countries included here - Germany, France, and the United Kingdom - had ratios below that of the United States.

• For the most part, the U.S. states in 1990 had higher ratios of first- time entrants into full-time public and private higher education than the nations for which data were available. Counting first-time entrants by location of school, 21 states, but only 3 countries, had ratios of 50 or greater. Likewise, more than half of the 19 countries included had ratios below 40, whereas only 10 states did.

• In 12 of 19 countries for which data were available and in 45 of 50 U.S. states the female first-time entry ratio exceeded the male ratio.

• The U.S. states recording first-time entry ratios above 50 varied, depending on where migrating new entrants were counted - at their original state of residence or at the location of their school. Six states - Wyoming, North Dakota, Iowa, New York, Washington, and Nebraska - had ratios above 55 on both measures. Sending states with ratios above 55 included Georgia and New Jersey. Receiving states with ratios above 55 included Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Utah, Massachusetts, Idaho, and Delaware.

Notes on interpretation:

Enrollment ratios should not be interpreted as enrollment rates. Enrollment ratios allow comparisons across states and nations by standardizing enrollment in a particular education level to the size of the population in an age group typical for enrollment in that level. It is not, however, an estimate of the percentage of that age group who are enrolled in education at that level.

In the United States, students often enroll in a school located in a state other than the one in which they reside. Evaluating two sets of figures based on location of school or location of students' original state of residence illustrates patterns of student migration across states. If many students migrate into a state for schooling and few migrate out of it, that state's first-time entry ratio will be higher when counted at location of school than at students' original state of residence. This is because the denominator for both ratios (reference-age population of the state) stays the same, but the numerator increases when the net migration of students to the state is positive.

Only students attending higher education institutions in their home country are counted as new entrants. Thus, there is no distinction at the country- level between counting a new entrant at the location of the institution or the student's home. Both locations lie in the same country.

Table 10b

Figure 11a