This report uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) to examine access to postsecondary education of high school seniors who graduated in 1992. Access is measured by comparing the postsecondary enrollment rates of groups of students with different background characteristics, with the implicit assumption that groups of students who show similar rates of enrollment in similar types of institutions have had similar access to them. The specific focus is on how differences in family income, parental education, and students' raceethnicity are reflected in (1) enrollment in postsecondary education within two years of high school graduation; (2) the type of institution attended; (3) academic preparedness for admission to a four-year college; (4) taking the necessary steps toward admission to a four-year college; and (5) obtaining information about financial aid. A central issue is to what extent concerns about college costs and inadequate information about financial aid may deter low-income students from applying to four-year colleges and universities. Supplemental data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:93) is also used to examine the college costs and financial aid reported for a comparable group of students who were enrolled in postsecondary education in 199293.
The descriptive reports of the second and third NELS:88 follow-up surveys have shown that black and Hispanic students and students with low socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely to take college preparatory courses, to apply to colleges and take college entrance exams, and to enroll in four-year institutions than are other students. Most of the differences in postsecondary enrollment by raceethnicity and SES disappear among those students who were in the highest quartile on the aptitude test administered in the NELS survey./1
This report will expand these previous analyses, with a particular focus on those 1992 high school graduates who may be considered "college qualified" because they have adequate academic course preparation, grades, and aptitude test scores to meet the minimal entrance requirements of most four-year colleges. In addition, this report examines those students who had the initiative to take a college entrance exam and submit an application for admission to a four-year institution. If the financial aid system is providing equal educational opportunities and access to postsecondary schooling, one would expect no substantial differences by family income in the four-year college enrollment rates of students whose academic records show they are likely to be admitted to a four-year college and who have taken the necessary steps to be considered for admission. The findings of this study indicate that this is indeed generally the case: there were no substantial differences by family income in the four-year college enrollment rates of college-qualified high school graduates who apply to and are accepted for admission at four-year colleges.
The report begins by examining some of the important background characteristics of the 1992 high school graduates and their relationship to postsecondary enrollment and the types of institutions attended within two years of high school graduation. This is followed by an examination of postsecondary costs and financial aid among low-income students enrolled in 199293. Next is a comparison of the educational expectations of the high school graduates when they were in eighth grade to their expectations in the senior year, as well as their plans for postsecondary education as seniors. The college qualification index developed for this study will then be discussed, and used to focus on those students who appear to have been qualified for four-year college work. The focus then narrows to those among the college-qualified who take the college entrance examinations and apply to four-year colleges. Then the enrollment patterns of those who were accepted for admission to four-year colleges will be examined, including their choice of private and public institutions. This is followed by an examination of the relationship between taking the steps toward admission to a four-year college, concerns about affordability, and information acquired about financial aid. Finally, a multivariate analysis of two-year and four-year college enrollment rates is presented. The conclusion includes a series of tables (tables 3537) that provide a summary and overview of the information presented in more detail in the text.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] U.S. Department of Education, , A Profile of the American High School Senior in 1992 (Washington, D.C.: 1995); and U.S. Department of Education, , National Educational Longitudinal Study: 19881994, Descriptive Summary Report (Washington, D.C.: 1996).
Acknowledgments