The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) examines students' education and work experiences after they complete a bachelor's degree, with a special emphasis on the experiences of new elementary and secondary teachers.

Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) Features

  • Nationally representative longitudinal study of students who completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a given academic year.
  • Follows graduating seniors 1, 4, and 10 years after completing their bachelor's degree.
  • Special emphasis on new elementary and secondary teachers.
  • The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) serves as the base year for each cohort.
  • Four cohorts have been followed. Students in the most recent cohort completed their bachelor's degree in 2015–16 and were followed in 2017 and 2020. Data are now available from the 2020 follow up.
  • Data from the 10–year follow up of the 2007–08 cohort are also available.

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Highlights

  • December 2023: The 2019/20 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:16/20) Restricted-Use Data File is now available. This restricted-use data file contains data on nationally representative samples of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. NPSAS:20 also includes data on state-representative samples of undergraduate students in some states, as well as in public 2-year and in public 4-year institution sectors within some states.
  • September 2022: First Look report describes the outcomes of 2015–16 bachelor’s degree earners 4 years after graduation. Outcomes include enrollment and employment status, federal student loan debt and repayment, earnings and other job characteristics, financial well-being, and teaching status.
  • September 2022: First Look report describes the experiences of 2015–16 bachelor’s degree earners during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 4 years after graduation. Findings include professional and personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal student loan repayment, employment status and characteristics, changes to work arrangements, and unemployment compensation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Historical Background

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a study of financial aid that NCES has conducted since 1987. The study collects comprehensive data about how students and their families pay for postsecondary education and also serves as the foundation and base year cohort for the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) and Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B).

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) tracks first-time students' pathways through postsecondary education over the course of six years, focusing on persistence and degree attainment, transition to employment, and school and work experiences. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) administrations in 1990, 1996, 2004, 2012, and 2020 (forthcoming) identified the BPS cohorts.

The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) follows bachelor's degree recipients over the course of 10 years, collecting data on workforce participation, income and debt repayment, and graduate school patterns. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) administrations in 1993, 2000, 2008, and 2016 identified the B&B cohorts.

NCES collects transcript data from postsecondary institutions for various longitudinal studies, including the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) and Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) longitudinal studies. Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS) collections allow further examination of course-taking patterns, credit transfer, student momentum and attrition, and the connections among students' education choices, occupations, and wages. Transcripts were most recently collected for the BPS:12 cohort. Postsecondary education transcript collections include:

  • 1984 – NLS-72
  • 1993 – HS&B
  • 1994 – B&B:93
  • 2000 – NELS:88
  • 2010 – BPS:04
  • 2010 – B&B:08
  • 2014 – ELS:2002
  • 2017 – HSLS:09
  • 2018 – BPS:12