U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

NCES 2017-013 AUGUST 2017

College Applications of 2009 

High School Freshmen: 

Differences by Race/Ethnicity

The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of over 23,000 9

th-graders from 944

public and private schools in 2009. This study follows students throughout their secondary and postsecondary years, examining student

trajectories, major/career paths, and STEM interest. The study’s Base Year was 2009, the First Follow-up was conducted in 2012, when most of 

the sample members were 11th-graders, and a brief Update was conducted in 2013, when most sample members would have completed high

school. 

What percentage of 2009 

high school freshmen had 

applied for college as of fall 

2013? 

In 2013, young adults who had been 

freshmen in 2009 were asked about 

their postsecondary educational plans.

Sample members or their parents1

were asked to provide information

about high school completion, including receipt of alternative credentials 

such as a GED.2 Respondents were 

then asked about the 2009 freshman’s 

plans for the fall, including postsecondary enrollment. Key questions included 

whether the young adult had applied or 

registered for admission at postsecondary institutions and the number of 

postsecondary applications/

registrations.3 Most 2009 freshmen 

(79 percent) had applied or registered 

for postsecondary education as of fall 

2013. Results are reported here by 

race/ethnicity (Figure 1). 

FIGURE 1. Fall 2013 postsecondary application status of 2009 

high school freshmen, by race/ethnicity

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 

High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) 2013 Update File (NCES 2015-038).

 Asian/Pacific Islander students

had the highest percentage of

postsecondary applicants/

registrants, at 91 percent.

American Indian/Alaska Native

students had the lowest

percentage of postsecondary applicants/registrants at 63 percent.

• Black students applied/registered

at postsecondary institutions at a

rate of 76 percent, and White

students at a rate of 81 percent.

 American Indian/Alaska Native

young adults had the highest

percentage of high school noncompleters (27 percent) as of 2013.

Data in this report are from the 2013 Update of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), a 

nationally representative sample survey of high school students. To learn more, visit http://nces.ed.gov/

surveys/hsls09/. For questions about content or to view this report online, go to http://nces.ed.gov/

pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2017013.
College Applications of 2009 High School Freshmen

How many postsecondary 

institutions did 2009 high 

school freshmen apply to or 

register for? 

In 2013, respondents who reported at 

least one application for admission to

or registration at a postsecondary 

institution for the fall of 2013 were 

asked to report the number of applications or registrations. Among those 

who reported applying to or 

registering for at least one institution, 

the mean number of applications 

reported was 2.9. Results are 

reported here by race/ethnicity 

(Figure 2).

FIGURE 2. Number of postsecondary applications among 2009 

high school freshmen who applied to or registered in at least one 

postsecondary institution as of fall 2013, by race/ethnicity

NOTE: American Indian/Alaska Native sample members are not pictured here due to low counts. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 

High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) 2013 Update Data File (NCES 2015-038). 

Number of postsecondary applications/registrations

Percent

• A large portion of sample members

across racial/ethnic groups applied

to/registered at only one postsecondary institution for fall 2013. Forty

-three percent of Hispanics/Latinos,

40 percent of Whites, and 37 percent of Blacks applied to/registered

at only one institution. In comparison, a smaller percentage of Asian/

Pacific Islanders (26 percent)

applied to/registered at only one

postsecondary institution than did

other racial/ethnic groups.

 Percentages of students reporting

two, three, four, or five or more applications were generally substantially

lower than the percentage reporting

only one application. This was true

across the racial/ethnic groups. An

exception was Asian/ Pacific

Islanders, of whom 38 percent

reported five or more

postsecondary applications.

• Two applications/registrations

were reported by 17 percent of 

Whites, 15 percent of Hispanic/

Latinos and 15 percent of Blacks. 

In contrast, 12 percent of Asian/

Pacific Islanders reported two 

applications/registrations.

• Among Black sample members, 23

percent reported five or more

applications/registrations. In

comparison, 19 percent of White

and 18 percent of Hispanic/Latino

sample members applied to or

registered at five or more

institutions.

Endnotes 

1 Respondents to the 2013 Update could 

have been the sample member or a 

parent.

2 General Educational Development (GED) 

certificate. 

3 Sample members were asked to report 

their numbers of applications or

registrations as of November 1, 2013 to 

help assure that respondents were 

reporting for comparable time periods 

regardless of the date on which the 

survey was completed. Applications are 

reported for institutions with selective 

admissions, while registrations are 

reported for nonselective institutions. 

This NCES Data Point presents information of education topics of current interest. It 

was authored by Elise Christopher of NCES. Estimates based on samples are 

subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not be statistically 

significant. All stated differences are statistically significant at the .05 level. In 

the design, conduct, and data processing of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys, efforts are made to minimize effects of non-sampling errors, 

such as item response, measurement error, data processing error, or other 

systematic error.