98-105 / Access to Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School Graduates / Steps Toward Attending a Four-Year Institution

Access to Postsecondary Education for the 1992 High School Graduates

Steps Toward Attending a Four-Year Institution

In order to attend a four-year college or university, students must, in addition to having the necessary academic preparation and levels of achievement to be admitted to a four-year institution, complete two steps: they must take a college entrance examination (usually the SAT or ACT) and submit an admissions application. The left panel of table 22 describes the proportions of college-qualified students who took either both steps, only one step, or neither step toward attending a four-year institution.

Among all college-qualified students, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) took both a college entrance exam and submitted an application to a four-year institution. The proportion of college-qualified students taking both of these steps was directly related to their family income: 62 percent of low-income students did so compared to 73 percent of middle-income and 91 percent of high-income students. College-qualified Hispanics, however, were less likely to take a college entrance examination and submit an application than students from any other racial-ethnic group.\34\

The right panel of table 22 focuses on those high school graduates who were both college qualified and planned to attend a four-year institution immediately after high school. Among this group, nearly 93 percent took both steps toward meeting their educational goals. There were still some income and racial-ethnic differences in the proportions of those who took both steps. The proportions of college-qualified seniors taking both steps toward four-year college admission was still directly related to income. Hispanics were still less likely to take both steps than Asians and whites, but among those who were both college qualified and planned to attend a four-year institution immediately after high school there was no longer any measurable difference between Hispanics and blacks.

The postsecondary enrollment rates of those 1992 high school graduates who were college-qualified and took both steps toward attending a four-year institution are displayed in table 23. Only 4 percent of these students did not attend any postsecondary institution, 11 percent attended public two-year colleges, and 84 percent attended a four-year college or university. There was no difference in the four-year college enrollment rate of low-income and middle-income students (82 percent) who were college qualified and took both steps toward admission, and there was no measurable difference in the four-year college enrollment rates among students from various racial-ethnic groups.\35\

The small percentage of college-qualified seniors who took both steps toward attending a four-year institution and did not enroll in a postsecondary institution are excluded in the right panel of table 24. Among the 96 percent who did enroll, there were no differences in the proportion of low- and middle-income students who attended a four-year college or university (about 86 percent) as well as no differences among students from various racial-ethnic groups. If they enrolled in postsecondary education, between 85 and 88 percent of all college-qualified blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and whites who had taken both steps toward attending a four-year institution enrolled in a four-year institution within two years of high school graduation.

Although many of the differences in four-year college enrollment rates disappear among those students who are both college qualified and take both steps toward attending a four-year college, students whose parents have high incomes or college degrees are still the most likely to attend four-year institutions. Nevertheless, high school graduates whose parents have low levels of income and education are able to attend four-year colleges at the same rates as students from middle-income families, if they do what four-year colleges expect them to do. That is, if low-income students have an academic record and aptitude test scores which demonstrate even the minimal qualifications for admission to a four-year institution, and if they take a college entrance examination and if they submit an application for admission, the majority of low-income students do enroll in postsecondary education, and over 83 percent attend a four-year institution (figure 4). Similarly, those black and Hispanic students who are college qualified, take a college entrance examination, and apply for admission to a four-year college are just as likely to attend a four-year college or university as their white and Asian counterparts (figure 5).

Footnotes:

34/ There were no differences among Asians, whites, and blacks with the exception of Asians, who were slightly more likely than whites to take both steps.

35/ While there appear to be large racial-ethnic differences in the total proportions not enrolled, the differences are not statistically significant.