NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report May 2001

Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Reports

Bridging the Gap

Academic Preparation and

Postsecondary Success of

First-Generation Students

Edward C. Warburton

Rosio Bugarin

Anne-Marie Nuñez

MPR Associates, Inc.

C. Dennis Carroll

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 2001–153
U.S. Department of Education

Rod Paige

Secretary

National Center for Education Statistics

Gary W. Phillips

Acting Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing,

and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional

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NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable,

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May 2001

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Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Bridging the Gap: Academic

Preparation and Postsecondary Success of First-Generation Students, NCES 2001–153, by Edward C.

Warburton, Rosio Bugarin, and Anne-Marie Nuñez. Project Officer: C. Dennis Carroll. Washington, DC:

2001.

For ordering information on this report, write:

U.S. Department of Education

ED Pubs

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Jessup, MD 20794-1398

or call toll free 1-877-4ED-PUBS or go to the Internet: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html

Contact:

Aurora D’Amico

(202) 502-7334
iii

Executive Summary

This report examines the high school preparation and postsecondary persistence of firstgeneration students—those students whose parents had no education beyond high school—and

compares them with students whose parents went

to college. Previous research has demonstrated

that first-generation students exhibit different

college enrollment and persistence behaviors than

their counterparts whose parents have more education. Such studies found that first-generation

students were less likely than their peers to complete advanced mathematics classes in high

school. Even among those qualified for college,

first-generation students were less likely to enroll

in 4-year institutions (Horn and Nuñez 2000). Independent of other relevant demographic, enrollment, and college involvement factors, firstgeneration status was also found to be negatively

associated with students’ persistence and attainment (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998).

What has not been well understood, however,

is the extent to which the academic preparation of

first-generation students in high school affects

their persistence and attainment in postsecondary

education. The purpose of this report is to examine whether first-generation students who were

otherwise equally prepared academically were

comparable to students whose parents went to

college in terms of their grade-point averages

(GPAs), number of remedial courses in postsecondary education, and rates of persistence (that

is, whether they were retained at their first institution, had stayed on a persistence track toward the

bachelor’s degree,1 or had attained a degree). This

analysis focuses on a subset of 1995–96 beginning

postsecondary students who started their postsecondary education in 4-year institutions.

High School Coursetaking

The academic rigor of students’ high school

curriculum2 was strongly associated with their

postsecondary GPA, the amount of remedial

coursework they took, and with their rates of persistence and attainment. As overall high school

academic rigor increased, so did students’ GPA.

Students who did not exceed the requirements of

the core New Basics curriculum had a lower GPA

than did those who exceeded them (2.5 points versus 3.1 points). The rigor of students’ high school

curriculum was also related to the number of remedial courses they took during their first year of

postsecondary education. As the rigor of the secondary curriculum increased, the proportion of

students who took one or more remedial courses

decreased from 21 percent to 3 percent.

 

1Students’ status with respect to the “persistence track to a

bachelor’s degree” is defined by three values: stayed on the

persistence track (i.e., stayed in the same 4-year institution or

made a lateral transfer to a different 4-year institution), left

the persistence track (“stopped out” for more than 4 months

or made an immediate or delayed downward transfer), or left

postsecondary education (was neither still enrolled at the

initial institution nor had transferred to another postsecondary

institution).

2“Academic rigor” is defined by four variables that describe

the overall difficulty of students’ high school coursework:

core New Basics or below, beyond New Basics I (somewhat

exceeded core New Basics), beyond New Basics II (substantially exceeded core New Basics), and rigorous (maximally

exceeded core New Basics).
Executive Summary

iv

High school academic preparation was also related to students’ likelihood of remaining enrolled

in postsecondary education. In general, the more

rigorous their high school curriculum, the more

likely students were to persist (or to attain a degree) at the initial postsecondary institution in

which they enrolled. While 62 percent of students

who did not exceed the core New Basics requirements were still enrolled or had attained a degree

in spring 1998, 84 percent of students who exceeded the requirements did so. Likewise, the

more rigorous the students’ high school curriculum, the higher their likelihood of staying on the

persistence track to a bachelor’s degree: 87 percent of students who took rigorous academic

coursework in high school stayed on the persistence track, compared with 62 percent of students

who did not take such coursework. Finally, students whose curriculum was rigorous were more

likely to still be enrolled and working for a degree

than students who did not exceed the core New

Basics requirements (93 percent versus 75 percent).

Effect of First-Generation Status

This study found a relationship between parents’ education level and the likelihood that students would undertake a more rigorous high

school curriculum and, consequently, enroll, perform well, and persist in 4-year postsecondary

institutions. Overall, first-generation status was

shown to have a negative association with students’ academic preparation and persistence.

Preparation for Postsecondary Education

Compared with students whose parents were

college graduates,3 first-generation students were

less likely to have taken calculus in high school

(20 percent versus 34 percent). A full 40 percent

 

3Whenever the term “college graduates” is used, it means that

at least one parent had attained a bachelor’s degree.

of first-generation students did not exceed the core

New Basics curriculum (figure A). Furthermore,

while about one-fifth of students whose parents

had a bachelor’s degree took rigorous courses in

high school, just 9 percent of first-generation students did so.

First-generation students were also less likely

to take college entrance examinations, and when

they did, they were more likely than their peers to

Figure A—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning

Figure A—postsecondary students according to academic

Figure A—rigor of secondary school curriculum, by firstFigure A—generation status

1

Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of

mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies.

2

Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and

geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language.

3

Beyond New Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science

(biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including

algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language.

4

Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement

test score.

5

Non-first-generation students are those whose parents had any

college experience.

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Includes public

and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions. Students in private,

for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because

the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

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

Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

22

23

28

28

9

21

30

40

0 25 50 75 100

Rigorous

Beyond New Basics II

Beyond New Basics I

Core New Basics or below

Percent

First-generation student

Non-first-generation student

Core New Basics

or below1

Rigorous4

Beyond New

Basics II3

Beyond New

Basics I2

5
Executive Summary

v

have lower scores. Whereas 15 percent of students

whose parents were college graduates scored 790

points or lower on the SAT or ACT (i.e., the lowest quartile), almost 40 percent of first-generation

students scored in this quartile. On the SAT II,

first-generation students were more likely than

their counterparts whose parents were college

graduates to score below 550 points and less likely

to score 650 points or more. Finally, a lower proportion of first-generation students reported taking

any Advanced Placement (AP) tests than did both

students whose parents had attended college and

those whose parents had graduated (8 percent versus 14 percent and 22 percent, respectively).

Postsecondary Enrollment and

Performance

In this study, students’ patterns of postsecondary enrollment and academic performance confirmed previous research showing differential

behaviors between first-generation students and

their peers whose parents were college educated.

Of the students who attended 4-year institutions,

first-generation students were much more likely to

attend public comprehensive institutions instead

of research universities than those with at least

one parent who had a bachelor’s degree (41 percent versus 26 percent). More than one-quarter (27

percent) of first-generation students attended part

time, and these students were much more likely to

work full time compared to students whose parents had a college degree. By the end of the 1997–

98 academic year, a larger proportion of firstgeneration students (25 percent) had chosen business/management as their major field of study,

compared with their non-first-generation counterparts (17 percent).

In general, first-generation students had lower

first-year GPAs than students whose parents had a

college degree (2.6 versus 2.8), and were more

likely to have taken at least one remedial course

during their first year of postsecondary education

(21 percent versus 10 percent). This difference

persisted even after controlling for the rigor of

students’ high school coursework and college entrance examination scores. Among students who

substantially exceeded the core New Basics in

high school, first-generation students were more

likely to have taken at least one remedial course

during their first year of postsecondary education

than students whose parents had a college degree

(15 percent versus 6 percent). Moreover, among

students whose college entrance examination

scores were in the lowest quartile, 38 percent of

first-generation students had taken at least one

remedial course during their first year, compared

with 29 percent of students whose parents had a

college degree.

However, among students who took rigorous

high school courses or scored in the top quartile on

their college entrance examinations, first-generation

students had first-year college GPAs and remedial

coursetaking patterns that were not significantly

different from their non-first-generation peers. For

example, among students who took rigorous

coursework in high school, 95 percent of firstgeneration students reported taking no remedial

courses during their first year, compared to 96

percent of students whose parents completed some

college and 97 percent of students whose parents

had earned a bachelor’s degree. In addition, firstgeneration students’ average first-year GPA was

3.0, which was no different from the average GPA

(3.1) of their non-first-generation counterparts

with similar academic preparation.

Postsecondary Persistence and

Attainment

With respect to postsecondary persistence and

attainment, four outcomes were examined: the
Executive Summary

vi

number of enrollment spells,4 retention at the initial 4-year institution, persistence track to a

bachelor’s degree, and attainment or last academic

year of enrollment through 1998.

First-generation students were less likely to be

enrolled continuously or to attain a degree at their

initial postsecondary institution than students

whose parents had completed college (60 percent

versus 73 percent). They were also more likely to

have stopped out5 or left their first institution of

enrollment than their peers whose parents had a

college degree (19 percent versus 8 percent).

These differences disappeared, however, among

students who took rigorous high school courses. In

this case, first-generation students were as likely

as students whose parents had a college degree to

be continuously enrolled or to have attained a degree in June 1998 (87 percent versus 86 percent)

(figure B).

The study results also show that students who

remained at the initial 4-year institution or made a

lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution were

considered to have stayed on the persistence track

to a bachelor’s degree. Overall, first-generation

students were less likely than students whose parents had completed a 4-year degree to stay on the

persistence track (58 percent versus 77 percent).

Not only were first-generation students more

likely than their peers whose parents finished college to leave the persistence track through a

 

4An “enrollment spell” is defined as a period of enrollment

without a break of more than 4 months. The number of enrollment spells counts the periods of continuous enrollment

(at any institution), each separated by more than 4 months of

nonenrollment, through June 1998.

5An enrollment spell may end either with a stopout or leaving

without return. A “stopout” is defined as a break in enrollment of more than 4 months and a return to postsecondary

education. Leaving without return is no enrollment for a period of more than 4 months and no return to postsecondary

education as of spring 1998.

Figure B—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postseconFigure B—dary students who were still enrolled (or had

Figure B—attained bachelor’s degree) at initial instituFigure B—tion according to academic rigor of secondary

Figure B—school curriculum, by first-generation status:

Figure B—June 1998

1

Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of

mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies.

2

Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and

geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language.

3

Beyond New Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science

(biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including

algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language.

4

Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement

test score.

NOTE: Includes public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions.

Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from

this analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1

percent).

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

Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

86

72

68

67

87

65

65

55

0 25 50 75 100

Rigorous

Beyond New Basics II

Beyond New Basics I

Core New Basics or below

Percent

First-generation student

Parent had bachelor’s degree

Core New Basics

or below1

Rigorous4

Beyond New

Basics II3

Beyond New

Basics I2

stopout or downward transfer (22 percent versus

14 percent), they also were more than twice as

likely to leave their first institution without returning (21 percent versus 9 percent). Moreover,

even among students who took rigorous coursework in high school, first-generation students were

almost twice as likely as students whose parents

had completed college to leave the persistence

track through a stopout or downward transfer (14

percent versus 8 percent).
Executive Summary

vii

Though the negative relationship between firstgeneration status and persistence was strong and

consistent, the picture was more positive when

looking at those who left postsecondary education

without returning, while controlling for the rigor

of students’ secondary school curriculum and their

scores on college entrance examinations. Among

those students who took a rigorous high school

curriculum, first-generation students and students

whose parents completed college had similar rates

of postsecondary departure without return (5 percent and 3 percent). And though first-generation

students who did not exceed the core New Basics

in high school were less likely to stay on the persistence track to a bachelor’s degree compared to

their counterparts (55 percent versus 69 percent),

the likelihood of staying on the persistence track

for students who took rigorous coursework did not

differ meaningfully for first-generation students

and students whose parents had a bachelor’s degree (81 and 89 percent, respectively) (figure C).

Finally, this study examined overall rates of

persistence and attainment in spring 1998, 3 years

after initial enrollment. Students whose parents

had a bachelor’s degree were more likely than

their first-generation peers to have attained a degree or to still be enrolled 3 years after entering a

4-year institution (88 percent versus 73 percent).

This difference was particularly evident for firstgeneration students who did not take a rigorous

curriculum in high school: they were much less

likely than students whose parents completed college to be enrolled 3 years after entering a 4-year

institution (65 percent versus 85 percent).

Conclusion

The findings from this analysis indicate that

students who were well prepared for postsecondary education were very likely to persist in 4-year

institutions. Students who took rigorous courseFigure C—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postseconFigure C—dary students who stayed on persistence track

Figure C—to bachelor’s degree according to academic

Figure C—rigor of secondary school curriculum, by firstFigure C—generation status: June 1998

1

Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of

mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies.

2

Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and

geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language.

3

Beyond New Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science

(biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including

algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language.

4

Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement

test score.

NOTE: A student who stays on the persistence track either remains

at the initial 4-year institution in which they enrolled or makes a

lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with no break in

enrollment. Includes public and private, not-for-profit 4-year

institutions. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are

excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small

(less than 1 percent).

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

Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

89

76

75

69

81

64

66

55

0 25 50 75 100

Rigorous

Beyond New Basics II

Beyond New Basics I

Core New Basics or below

Percent

First-generation

Parent had bachelor’s degree

Core New Basics

or below1

Rigorous4

Beyond New

Basics II3

Beyond New

Basics I2

work in high school accounted for more than 80

percent of those students who either stayed on the

persistence track to a bachelor’s degree or were

retained at their initial institution. At the same

time, parents’ levels of education were found to be

associated with rates of students’ retention and

persistence in college, even when controlling for

measures of academic preparedness (such as rigor
Executive Summary

viii

of secondary curriculum and college entrance examination scores).

These findings hold true even when other related variables are held constant. That is, even

after controlling for variables such as academic

preparation and postsecondary achievement, parents’ education continued to be a significant factor

in determining whether students persisted, were

enrolled at their initial institution 3 years after

entering, or stayed on the persistence track. Students whose parents attained a bachelor’s degree

were more likely than first-generation students to

remain enrolled at their initial 4-year institution.

Likewise, after controlling for related variables,

students whose parents attained a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely to stay on the persistence track to a bachelor’s degree than firstgeneration students.

At the same time, after holding all other variables constant, students who took rigorous

coursework in high school significantly increased

their chances of staying on the persistence track to

a bachelor’s degree. Taken together, these results

suggest that, while first-generation status is an

important predictor of success in postsecondary

education, rigorous preparation in high school

substantially narrows the gap in postsecondary

outcomes between first-generation students and

their peers whose parents graduated from college.
ix

Foreword

This report describes the experiences of a subset of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students. It examines the high school preparation and postsecondary education persistence of firstgeneration students—that is, students whose parents never enrolled in college—and compares

them with students whose parents attended or graduated from college.

This report uses data from the 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal

Study (BPS:96/98), First Follow-up, which tracks the experiences of a cohort of students who

began postsecondary education in 1995–96. The First Follow-up was conducted in spring 1998,

about 3 years after this cohort of students first enrolled. Unlike the original BPS study, which

was administered in 1989–90 and provided little information on students’ high school academic

preparation, the BPS:96/98 First Follow-up includes data on courses completed in high school, as

reported by students on SAT or ACT test questionnaires and student achievement test scores.

The estimates presented in the report (mostly percentages) were produced using the NCES

Data Analysis System (DAS), a microcomputer application that allows users to specify and generate tables, for the BPS:96/98 study. The DAS produces the design-adjusted standard errors

necessary for testing the statistical significance of differences in the estimates. For more information on the DAS, readers should consult appendix B of this report.
x

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the many individuals who contributed to this report. At NCES

Paula Knepper provided a comprehensive technical review of the methods and content. The final

draft was reviewed by an adjudication panel lead by Karen O’Conor (NCES, Office of the Deputy Commissioner) who chaired the panel. Also from NCES were Ilona Berkovits (El/Sec Sample Survey Studies Program) and John Wirt (Annual Reports Program). Other Department of

Education reviewers included Elaine Gilby (Planning and Evaluation Service, Office of the Under Secretary), Ann Mullen (OERI), and John Oberg (Office of Vocational and Adult Education).

A special thanks to Ken Redd from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) for his thorough review of the final report.

At MPR Associates, special thanks go to Barbara Kridl for overseeing the production process, Francesca Tussing for formatting the tables and preparing the final layout, and Andrea

Livingston for editing and proofreading the report. Helen Jang provided invaluable administrative and technical support at all stages of development and production. Laura Horn reviewed the

report and made helpful suggestions from the early planning stages through the final report.
xi

Table of Contents

Page

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. iii

Foreword.................................................................................................................................... ix

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... x

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. xiii

List of Figures............................................................................................................................ xvi

Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1

Report Organization .............................................................................................................. 2

Data............................................................................................................................................. 5

First-Generation Students...................................................................................................... 5

Preparation for Postsecondary Education.............................................................................. 6

Postsecondary Enrollment and Performance......................................................................... 7

Persistence and Attainment ................................................................................................... 8

Profile of First-Generation Students....................................................................................... 9

High School Location and Type............................................................................................ 9

Preparation for Postsecondary Education.............................................................................. 13

Academic Preparation ........................................................................................................... 13

Advanced Placement and College Entrance Examinations................................................... 14

Postsecondary Education.......................................................................................................... 19

Academic Performance ......................................................................................................... 21

Persistence and Attainment...................................................................................................... 27

Number of Enrollment Spells................................................................................................ 27

Enrollment at Initial Institution 3 Years Later ...................................................................... 29

Persistence Track to a Bachelor’s Degree ............................................................................. 32

Who Leaves Postsecondary Education.................................................................................. 35
Table of Contents

xii

Page

Controlling for Related Variables ........................................................................................... 39

Enrollment at Initial Institution 3 Years Later ...................................................................... 40

Persistence Track to a Bachelor’s Degree ............................................................................. 42

Conclusions................................................................................................................................ 45

References.................................................................................................................................. 47

Appendix A—Glossary ............................................................................................................. 49

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology .................................................................. 59
xiii

List of Tables

Table Page

1 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

selected demographic and academic characteristics, by first-generation status .............. 10

2 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

location of high school, by first-generation status........................................................... 11

3 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

type of high school and percentage enrollment of underrepresented minority, by firstgeneration status.............................................................................................................. 11

4 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

highest mathematics course taken in high school, by first-generation status.................. 13

5 Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who took college entrance

examinations (SAT/ACT, AP, SAT II), average SAT/ACT and AP scores, and

percentage distribution of SAT II scores, by first-generation status .............................. 15

6 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

enrollment and employment status in 1997–98 academic year, by first-generation

status................................................................................................................................ 20

7 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students attending 4-year

institutions according to major field of study in 1997–98 academic year, by firstgeneration status.............................................................................................................. 22

8 First-year grade-point average (GPA) of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students

according to college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and academic

rigor of secondary school curriculum, by first-generation status .................................... 23

9 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

number of remedial education courses taken during first year of postsecondary

enrollment, by academic rigor of secondary school curriculum and first-generation

status................................................................................................................................ 24

10 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

number of remedial education courses taken during first year of postsecondary

enrollment, by college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and firstgeneration status.............................................................................................................. 26
List of Tables

xiv

Table Page

11 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

number of enrollment spells as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of secondary school

curriculum and first-generation status............................................................................. 28

12 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

number of enrollment spells as of spring 1998, by college entrance examination score

(SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation status.......................................................... 29

13 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

outcome of first spell of continuous enrollment at first institution as of spring 1998,

by academic rigor of secondary school curriculum and first-generation status .............. 30

14 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

outcome of first spell of continuous enrollment at first institution as of spring 1998,

by college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation

status................................................................................................................................ 32

15 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

enrollment status as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of secondary school curriculum

and first-generation status ............................................................................................... 33

16 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

enrollment status as of spring 1998, by college entrance examination score (SAT/

ACT composite) and first-generation status.................................................................... 35

17 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

attainment level and year of postsecondary departure 3 years later (spring 1998), by

academic rigor of secondary curriculum and first-generation status............................... 37

18 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

attainment level and year of postsecondary departure 3 years later (spring 1998),

by college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation

status................................................................................................................................ 38

19 Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who persisted at initial

institution and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the covariation of the

variables listed in the table.............................................................................................. 41

20 Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who stayed on persistence

track to bachelor’s degree and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the

covariation of the variables listed in the table................................................................. 43
List of Tables

xv

Table Page

B1 Standard errors for table 15: Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to enrollment status as of spring 1998, by academic

rigor of secondary school curriculum and first-generation status ................................... 61
xvi

List of Figures

Figure Page

Executive Summary Figures

A Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

academic rigor of secondary school curriculum, by first-generation status .................... iv

B Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who were still enrolled (or

had attained bachelor’s degree) at initial institution according to academic rigor of

secondary school curriculum, by first-generation status: June 1998............................... vi

C Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who stayed on persistence

track to bachelor’s degree according to academic rigor of secondary school

curriculum, by first-generation status: June 1998 ........................................................... vii

Text Figures

1 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

academic rigor of secondary school curriculum, by first-generation status .................... 14

2 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite), by first-generation

status................................................................................................................................ 16

3 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

type of initial 4-year institution attended, by first-generation status............................... 19

4 Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

Carnegie classification of initial institution, by first-generation status........................... 20
1

Introduction

For a majority of high school graduates, the next step in their social, intellectual, and economic development is postsecondary education. Between 1972 and 1998, the percentage of 16-

to 24-year-old high school graduates immediately entering college increased from 49 to 66 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2000). For some high school students, especially those

whose parents have less education, the transition to college requires more consideration, because

it offers both opportunity and risk. Among these students are those who are the first members of

their immediate families to enroll in postsecondary education, often referred to as “firstgeneration students.”

First-generation students exhibit different college enrollment behaviors than their counterparts whose parents have more education (Levine and Nidiffer 1996; Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin

1998; Terenzini et al. 1996). A recent analysis of data from the Third Follow-up of the National

Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/94) supports this finding. Among students who

were highly proficient in mathematics in 8th grade (as measured by a NELS proficiency test),

first-generation students were less likely than their peers whose parents held college degrees to

have completed advanced mathematics classes in high school; similarly, among those who were

qualified for college, first-generation students were less likely than non-first-generation students

to enroll in 4-year institutions (Horn and Nuñez 2000). These differences persisted even when

controlling for demographic characteristics, academic preparation, and college planning activities.

First-generation status is also negatively associated with persistence and attainment in postsecondary education. Persistence of beginning postsecondary students is affected by a variety of

factors, including income, race/ethnicity, delayed entry, and financial aid. While financial aid in

the form of grants appears to lower the probability of low-income and minority students’ dropping out of college (U.S. General Accounting Office 1994, 1995), among undergraduates who

began their postsecondary education in 1995–96, low-income students were less likely than their

non-low-income counterparts to have attained or be enrolled 3 years later, even after controlling

for student background and loan assistance (Choy 2000). In addition to financial aid, parents’

education level has been shown to be an important factor in postsecondary persistence. Firstgeneration students who entered college in 1989–90 were less likely than other students to be still

enrolled or to have completed their education 5 years later (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998).
Introduction

2

Although first-generation students appear less likely than non-first-generation students to

complete a degree, recent research suggests that a college degree is key in helping firstgeneration students improve their economic status. The 1993 Baccalaureate and Beyond Study

(B&B:93/94) data showed that, among first-generation students who completed a 4-year degree,

those in the labor market 1 year after completing their degrees had similar occupations and salaries to their non-first-generation peers (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998).

The purpose of this study is to build on this earlier work by examining whether firstgeneration students who were otherwise equally prepared academically—as demonstrated by

their coursetaking in high school and college entrance examination scores—persist in college at a

rate similar to that of students whose parents went to college. Though Nuñez and CuccaroAlamin (1998) found that first-generation students were less likely than their counterparts to persist in college, they were not able to control for key indicators, such as academic preparation in

secondary education. Consequently, it was not possible to determine whether differences in persistence were a function of students’ academic preparation for postsecondary work. Using newly

available data, this study adds to this research by investigating how first-generation and non-firstgeneration students differ in their academic preparation for college. By controlling for academic

preparation when examining rates of persistence and attainment in postsecondary education, this

report provides a better understanding of the unique circumstances of first-generation students

and the conditions that promote educational success.

Report Organization

This report examines the academic preparation and postsecondary persistence of 1995–96

beginning postsecondary students, comparing first-generation students with those whose parents

either have some college education or attained a bachelor’s degree. The report begins with a brief

description of the background characteristics of first-generation students. The analysis then examines the postsecondary education outcomes of students who enrolled in a 4-year college or

university while controlling for academic preparation and first-generation status. Finally, to

measure the independent effects of first-generation status and high school academic preparation

on persistence and attainment, multivariate analyses were conducted to control for related variables.

It is important to note that, because most of the between-group variation pertained to firstgeneration students and those students who had at least one parent who had a bachelor’s degree,
Introduction

3

most of findings reported here are between these two groups.1 Significant differences between

either of these groups and those students whose parents had some college are noted in the text.

The report addresses the following questions:

Preparation for Postsecondary Education

• How does the rigor of students’ academic coursework in high school vary with firstgeneration status?

• How do the college entrance examination results of first-generation and non-firstgeneration students differ?

Postsecondary Enrollment Behavior, Academic Performance, and Persistence and

Attainment

After controlling for academic preparation in high school,

• How do postsecondary enrollment behaviors—e.g., type of institution, enrollment and

employment status (full-time versus part-time), and major field of study—vary between first-generation and non-first-generation students?

• Does remedial coursetaking vary between first-generation and non-first-generation students?

• Does the postsecondary academic achievement (measured by first-year grades) of firstgeneration and non-first-generation students differ?

• How likely were students to persist 3 years after first entering postsecondary education,

and how do the persistence patterns of first-generation and non-first-generation students differ?

 

1The lack of significant differences between first-generation students and students whose parents had some college education is

partly due to the high variability in the some-college group.
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5

Data

This study uses data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study

(BPS:96/98), which tracks the experiences of a cohort of students who began postsecondary education in 1995–96. The First Follow-up survey took place in spring 1998, about 3 years after the

beginning postsecondary students initially enrolled. To determine first-generation status, the survey obtained information about the highest education level completed by either parent, primarily

from telephone interviews of students. This variable reflects editing of parental education levels

when occupation and education levels were discrepant (Adelman 1999). The study also gathers

data on student persistence in public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions over the 3

years encompassed by the First Follow-up of the 1995–96 BPS cohort.

2

Unlike the first BPS study, which began in 1989–90 and provided little information on high

school academic preparation, the 1995–96 BPS study includes data on courses completed in high

school, as reported by students on SAT or ACT test questionnaires, and achievement test scores.3

The 1995–96 BPS study also includes data on high school characteristics—data that were obtained from the Common Core of Data (CCD). These additional data allow in-depth examination

of students’ high school experience and academic preparation for college.

First-Generation Students

A major focus of this report is making comparisons across three levels of parents’ highest

education.4 These education levels were aggregated as follows (Horn and Nuñez 2000):

• First-generation—Neither parent had more than a high school education. Thus, the student was a member of the first generation in the immediate family to attend college.

 

2The sample size of students entering 4-year private, for-profit institutions is too small to be included as a category.

3These data (except for AP tests) are available only for students who took the SAT or ACT: 93 percent of students at 4-year institutions (public and private, not-for-profit) and 43 percent of those at public 2-year institutions, representing approximately

6,800 and 500 unweighted cases, respectively. Not only are academic preparation data available only for a minority and small

sample of public 2-year institution students, but the analysis of persistence and meaning of transfer during the study period would

not be parallel with that for 4-year students, due to certificate and transfer program completions. For this reason, the study is

limited to students who began at public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions.

4Parents’ level of education was obtained from parents’ reports in the 1995 Base-Year survey.
Data

6

• Some college—One or both parents had some postsecondary education, but neither had

attained a bachelor’s degree. This category includes parents who attained no more than

vocational certificates and associate’s degrees.

• College graduate—One or both parents earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Preparation for Postsecondary Education

High School Mathematics

The level of mathematics coursetaking in high school is a significant predictor of students’

postsecondary enrollment and of attaining a college degree (Adelman 1999; Horn and Nuñez

2000; Riley 1997). This analysis uses a standardized mathematics coursetaking variable that presents the highest level of mathematics coursework completed, as reported by students on the application for the SAT/ACT test.

Academic Rigor of High School Courses

Another indicator of high school academic preparation is the overall difficulty of students’

coursework. Using previous research as a guide, the variable “academic rigor” was created

(Adelman 1999; Burkam, Lee, and Smerdon 1996). Academic rigor takes into account 1) the

number of courses that students completed in academic subjects (mathematics, science, English,

social studies, and foreign language); 2) the level of courses students took in mathematics and

science; and 3) whether students took any honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. In cases

in which information on honors/AP coursetaking was missing, this study used AP test-taking as

supplementary data. If AP records indicated that students had taken an AP test, it was assumed

that they had taken an honors/AP course. For this analysis, coursetaking was aggregated into the

following four levels (listed in order from least to most advanced):

• Core New Basics5 and below (did not exceed core New Basics threshold)—Student

completed core New Basics curriculum: 4 years of English and 3 years each of science,

mathematics, and social studies;

• Beyond New Basics I (somewhat exceeded the core New Basics threshold)—Student

completed core New Basics curriculum that included at least two of the following three

science courses—biology, chemistry, or physics—and algebra I and geometry, plus 1

year of foreign language.

 

5The core “New Basics” curriculum was first advocated by the National Commission on Excellence in Education in A Nation at

Risk (1983). The commission recommended that high school students take a more rigorous sequence of courses.
Data

7

• Beyond New Basics II (substantially exceeded the core New Basics threshold)—Student completed core New Basics curriculum that included advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics) and advanced mathematics (algebra I, geometry, and algebra

II), plus 2 years of foreign language.

• Rigorous (maximally exceeded the core New Basics threshold)—Student completed

core New Basics curriculum that included advanced science (biology, chemistry, and

physics), 4 years of mathematics (algebra I, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus), plus 3

years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced

Placement test score.

As indicated above, students were classified as having taken “rigorous” coursework in high

school only if they fulfilled all the course requirements for that category. For example, some students may have completed more rigorous coursework than what is listed in the category “beyond

New Basics I,” but they remained in this category unless they met all the criteria for the next

higher category, “beyond New Basics II.”

Other Indicators of High School Academic Preparation

The final indicators of high school academic preparation are the students’ scores on college

entrance examinations. These data include students’ SAT I (or equivalent ACT) composite scores

and SAT II scores. In addition to supplementing missing data from students’ self-reports about

honors/AP coursetaking, data concerning students’ AP test-taking (that is, whether students took

two or more, one, or no AP test) were included in the analysis.

Additionally, newly available CCD data, including the racial/ethnic composition and location of students’ high schools, were included in the analysis. Together, the coursetaking,

achievement/test-taking, and other variables related to students’ high school experiences allow

one to examine whether, as previous research has suggested, first-generation students are less

academically prepared than others for college-level work. If they are, these data allow one to

study how this relative lack of preparation may be related to their postsecondary outcomes.

In addition to the academic preparation and background variables described above, key independent variables include demographic factors such as gender, age, socioeconomic status

(SES), and race/ethnicity. First-generation status is the primary independent variable of the

analysis.

Postsecondary Enrollment and Performance

Postsecondary enrollment and academic performance are key dependent variables. These

variables include the type of 4-year postsecondary institution in which students first enrolled, the
Data

8

number of remedial courses taken by students in their first year of college, and students’ postsecondary grade-point averages (GPAs) during their first year of enrollment.

Persistence and Attainment

In this analysis, persistence was defined as students’ status in relation to their enrollment in

the initial 4-year institution. Three primary variables were used to examine persistence: 1) retention—that is, whether a student is still enrolled in the same institution 3 years later; 2) persistence

track to bachelor’s degree—that is, whether a student stays at the initial 4-year institution or

makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution; and 3) persistence/attainment in postsecondary education—that is, whether students left without attaining their degree, remained enrolled,

or had attained a degree. In addition, this study examined persistence behavior by noting the

number of enrollment spells a student took since entering a 4-year institution in 1995–96.

Retention at initial institution is composed of the following three values:

• Student still enrolled in or attained a degree at the initial institution (including students

who stopped out and later returned to their initial institution).

• Student transferred to another postsecondary institution (still enrolled, the type of

transfer destination reflects the institution to which students transferred)

• Student left postsecondary education (neither still enrolled at the initial institution nor

transferred to another postsecondary institution).

Persistence track to bachelor’s degree is composed of the following three values:

• Student did not leave persistence track (stayed enrolled in the same institution or made

a lateral transfer to a different 4-year institution).

• Student left persistence track (stopout, immediate or delayed transfer from 4-year to

less-than-4-year postsecondary institution).

• Student left postsecondary education (neither still enrolled at the initial institution nor

transferred to another postsecondary institution).

Persistence and attainment in postsecondary education is composed of the following three

values:

• Student left without attaining a bachelor’s degree in any of the 3 years following initial

enrollment.

• Student remained enrolled in a 4-year postsecondary institution by June 1998.

• Student had attained a bachelor’s degree from a 4-year postsecondary institution by

June 1998.
9

Profile of First-Generation Students

Findings from this study support previous research demonstrating that first-generation students have particular demographic characteristics that distinguish them from other students (Horn

and Nuñez 2000; Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998). In 1995–96, first-generation students represented 31 percent of students who began postsecondary education in 4-year institutions. As

shown in table 1, first-generation students tended to be older than non-first-generation students: 7

percent of first-generation students were age 30 or older, compared with 1 percent of non-firstgeneration students. In addition, first-generation students were more likely than all non-firstgeneration students to be Hispanic (18 percent versus 7 percent). However, first-generation students were no more likely than students whose parents had some college to be black, non-Hispanic.

The family characteristics of first-generation students also differed from those of their nonfirst-generation counterparts. In general, first-generation students were more likely than non-firstgeneration students to speak a language other than English at home (16 percent versus 7 percent).

They were also more likely than students whose parents either finished college or had some postsecondary education to come from low-income families (29 percent versus 9 percent and 20 percent, respectively).6 A larger proportion of first-generation students were married, compared with

students whose parents completed college (7 percent versus 1 percent), and first-generation students were more likely than students whose parents had some college education to be foreign

born (11 percent versus 6 percent).

High School Location and Type

First-generation students were less likely than students whose parents had 4-year degrees to

have attended high schools in mid-sized cities or urban communities (table 2). About one-third of

all first-generation students attended a high school in an urban area, whereas more than 40 percent of students whose parents had a college degree did so. Conversely, first-generation students

were more likely than those whose parents had a bachelor’s degree to have attended a high

school located in a small town (15 percent versus 10 percent) or rural area (18 percent versus 10

percent).

 

6These income quartiles were based on quartiles defined by the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96) data.

Refer to appendix A for a more detailed description of how the income variable was derived.
Profile of First-Generation Students

10

Table 1—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to selected

Table 1—demographic and academic characteristics, by first-generation status

First-generation Parent had Parent had bachelor’s

student Total some college or advanced degree

 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Age at entrance into postsecondary education

 18 years or younger 71.0 82.8 80.3 83.7 

 19–24 years 20.2 15.4 16.9 14.9 

 25–29 years 1.8 1.1 1.5 1.0 

 30 years or older 7.1 0.7 1.2 0.5 

Gender

 Male 44.2 45.5 40.3 47.4 

 Female 55.8 54.5 59.7 52.7 

Race/ethnicity

 Asian/Pacific Islander 5.5 6.0 3.7 6.7 

 Hispanic 18.1 7.4 11.0 6.1 

 Black, non-Hispanic 13.5 8.2 12.8 6.7 

 White, non-Hispanic 61.3 76.1 70.6 78.0 

 American Indian/Alaskan Native 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.8 

Family income1

 Low income 28.7 12.0 19.6 9.4 

 Middle income 67.4 68.3 71.0 67.4 

 High income 3.9 19.7 9.4 23.3 

Marital status

 Not married2 92.9 98.1 96.0 98.8 

 Married 6.5 1.8 3.9 1.0 

 Separated 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.2 

SAT I or equivalent ACT composite score

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 39.6 20.3 35.1 15.3 

 Middle quartile (800–1090) 48.0 51.3 49.7 51.9 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 12.4 28.4 15.2 32.9 

Place of birth

 Born in United States3 88.9 92.0 93.9 91.4 

 Born outside United States4 11.1 8.0 6.2 8.6 

Language spoken at home

 English 84.1 93.3 93.4 93.3 

 Other than English 15.9 6.7 6.6 6.7 

1

Low income defined as below 125 percent of the 1994 federal poverty level. Middle income defined as 125 through 634 percent of the

1994 federal poverty level. High income defined as 635 percent of the federal poverty level or more.

2

Includes the following categories: single, never married; living as married, never married; divorced; widowed; and living as married,

previously divorced.

3

Native-born students are those who are natives of United States.

4

Foreign-born students include naturalized citizens and permanent residence and nonresident aliens.

NOTE: Column details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Non-first-generation student
Profile of First-Generation Students

11

Table 2—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to location of high

Table 2—school, by first-generation status

Large Mid-sized Large Small

city city Urban town town Rural

 Total 16.3 17.7 39.1 2.1 11.3 13.5 

First-generation status

 First-generation student 17.5 13.7 34.7 1.3 14.9 18.0 

 Non-first-generation student 15.6 18.8 40.6 2.4 10.6 12.0 

 Parent had some college 13.9 16.0 37.6 1.9 13.8 16.8 

 Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree 16.2 19.8 41.6 2.6 9.5 10.4 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis

because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Large city indicates a population of 250,000 people or more. Mid-size city

indicates a population of less than 250,000 people but more than 25,000 people. Urban indicates a population on the fringe of a large

city. Large town indicates either the population located on the fringe of a mid-size city or the population of a large town greater than

25,000. Small town contains less than 25,000 people in the population.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

First-generation students attended different kinds of high schools as well. Whereas a larger

proportion of students whose parents went to college graduated from private high school than did

first-generation students (12 and 18 percent versus 8 percent), 92 percent of first-generation students attended public high schools (table 3). Moreover, first-generation students were slightly

more likely than non-first-generation students to attend a school where more than three-quarters of

the student body was identified as underrepresented minority students (8 percent versus 5 percent).

Table 3—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to type of high 

Table 3—school and percentage enrollment of underrepresented minority, by first-generation status

First-generation Parent had Parent had bachelor’s

student Total some college or advanced degree

 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Type of high school

 Public 91.8 83.3 87.7 81.8 

 Private 8.2 16.7 12.3 18.2 

Percentage enrollment of underrepresented minority

 0–25 percent 61.9 66.5 61.9 68.6 

 26–50 percent 19.3 17.7 19.9 16.7 

 51–75 percent 10.8 11.0 12.8 10.1 

 76–100 percent 8.0 4.9 5.4 4.7 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis

because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Includes private Catholic, other religious, and nonreligious high schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Non-first-generation student
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13

Preparation for Postsecondary Education

The well-documented relationship between taking advanced mathematics courses in high

school and attending college is reconfirmed in this study. What is not well understood, however,

is how first-generation students’ academic preparation in high school affects their postsecondary

persistence. Using variables describing the overall difficulty of students’ coursework and academic achievement—that is, scores from college entrance examinations (SAT I/ACT, SAT II)

and Advanced Placement (AP) examinations—this study investigates whether the academic

preparation of first-generation students differs from that of their counterparts whose parents went

to college.

Academic Preparation

This study confirmed previous reports that the proportion of first-generation students who

took advanced mathematics courses was lower than that of their non-first-generation peers (table

4). Compared with students whose parents had a college degree, first-generation students were

more likely to have taken geometry (7 percent versus 4 percent) and algebra II (26 percent versus

17 percent) as their highest high school mathematics course and were less likely to have taken

calculus (20 percent versus 34 percent).

Table 4—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to highest

Table 4—mathematics course taken in high school, by first-generation status

Trigo- PreAlgebra I Geometry Algebra II nometry calculus Calculus

 Total 1.6 5.0 20.6 19.8 24.9 28.2

First-generation status

 First-generation student 2.9 6.7 25.5 22.0 23.1 19.8

 Non-first-generation student 1.3 4.5 18.9 18.3 25.7 31.3

 Parent had some college 2.3 6.6 24.0 18.9 24.2 24.0

 Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree 1.0 3.7 17.2 18.1 26.2 33.8

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).
Preparation for Postsecondary Education

14

First-generation students also took less rigorous coursework in high school than their peers

whose parents went to college (figure 1). Whereas 40 percent of first-generation students completed a nonrigorous high school curriculum, 28 percent of those whose parents went to college

did so. Furthermore, although about one-fifth of students whose parents went to college completed a rigorous secondary curriculum, only about one-tenth of first-generation students did so.

Advanced Placement and College Entrance Examinations

To measure high school academic achievement, this study analyzed whether students took

college entrance examinations, which tests they took (SAT/ACT, SAT II, AP), and how well they

Figure 1—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to academic

Figure 1—rigor of secondary school curriculum, by first-generation status

1

Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies.

2

Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics),

algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language.

3

Beyond New Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math

(including algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language.

4

Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced

Placement test score.

5

Non-first-generation students are those whose parents had any college experience.

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Includes public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions. Students in

private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

22

23

28

28

9

21

30

40

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Rigorous

Beyond New Basics II

Beyond New Basics I

Core New Basics or

below

Percent

First-generation student

Non-first-generation student

Core New Basics or below1

Rigorous4

Beyond New Basics II3

Beyond New Basics I2

5
Preparation for Postsecondary Education

15

scored on these examinations.7 Overall, first-generation students were less likely to take college

entrance examinations, and when they did, they scored lower than their peers who were not firstgeneration (table 5).

First-generation students were less likely than their non-first-generation counterparts to take

a college entrance examination (SAT I or ACT). While 83 percent of first-generation students

took a college entrance examination, 93 percent of students whose parents had some college education and 96 percent of students whose parents had a college degree took the SAT I or ACT.

The varying levels of achievement on these tests provide further evidence of how firstgeneration students’ academic achievement differs from that of their counterparts whose parents

attended college. First-generation students’ average score on the college entrance examination

was 858 points, compared with 899 points for students with parents who had some college and

Table 5—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who took college entrance examinations

Table 5—(SAT/ACT, AP, SAT II), average SAT/ACT and AP scores, and percentage distribution of SAT II

Table 5—scores, by first-generation status 

Parent had

First-generation Parent had bachelor’s or

Total student some college advanced degree

SAT/ACT

 Percentage taking SAT/ACT 91 83 93 96 

 Average SAT/ACT score 948 858 899 1011 

Advanced Placement (AP) test

 Percentage taking AP test 16 8 14 22 

 Average score on AP test 3 3 3 3 

SAT II

 Percentage taking SAT II tests 17 8 11 23 

 Percentage distribution of SAT II scores

 Less than 450 5 15 11 2 

 451–550 29 43 48 23 

 551–650 43 35 35 47 

 651 or more 23 8 6 28 

NOTE: Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small

(less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT) are college entrance

examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores or the ACT composite score converted

to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score. The SAT II is composed of subject specific tests.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Non-first-generation student

 

7The variable SAT/ACT is a composite variable. Refer to appendix A for a detailed description of how it was derived.
Preparation for Postsecondary Education

16

1011 points for students whose parents had completed college. Whereas 15 percent of students

whose parents had completed a 4-year degree scored in the lowest quartile on the examinations,

40 percent of first-generation students scored in this quartile (figure 2). Conversely, firstgeneration students were less likely than students whose parents had completed college to score

in the highest quartile (12 percent versus 33 percent).

Figure 2—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to college

Figure 2—entrance examination scores (SAT/ACT composite), by first-generation status

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

40

48

12

50

15 15

52

33 35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Lowest quartile

(790 or lower)

Middle quartiles

(800–1090)

Highest quartile

(1100 or higher)

Percent

First-generation student Parent had some college Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

The disparity between first-generation students’ participation in college entrance examinations and that of their counterparts whose parents graduated from college was also apparent with

respect to SAT II and AP examinations (table 5).8 Compared to students whose parents had a

college degree, first-generation students were less likely to have taken the SAT II (8 percent versus 23 percent) and, if they took the examination, were more likely to score below 550 points.

 

8It is important to note that differences in Advanced Placement (AP) test-taking and achievement levels may reflect the type of

high schools that first-generation students attended and the availability of AP courses. It is possible that first-generation students

are more likely to attend high schools that do not offer advanced level or AP courses necessary to complete a rigorous academic

curriculum.
Preparation for Postsecondary Education

17

First-generation students were less likely than both students whose parents had attended

some college and those whose parents had finished college to report taking any AP test (8 percent

versus 14 percent and 22 percent, respectively). Finally, although first-generation students’ average AP score did not differ from that of students whose parents had some college education, firstgeneration students’ scores were, on average, lower than those of students whose parents had

graduated from college (2.7 points versus 3.0 points).
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19

Postsecondary Education

Among students who first attended 4-year institutions of higher education, first-generation

students and students whose parents completed college differed with respect to their postsecondary enrollment behavior and major field of study. Overall, first-generation students were more

likely than their non-first-generation peers to enter public comprehensive universities and to attend college part time.

As shown in figures 3 and 4, among students who had first entered 4-year postsecondary

institutions, first-generation students were less likely than students whose parents graduated from

college to begin their postsecondary education in private institutions (32 percent versus 39 percent) (figure 3) and more likely to attend comprehensive universities (41 percent versus 26 percent) (figure 4). In contrast, students whose parents completed college were more likely than

first-generation students to attend research universities (52 percent versus 31 percent).

Figure 3—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to type of initial

Figure 3—4-year institution attended, by first-generation status

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Includes public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions. Students in

private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

39

61

34

66

32

68

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Private, not-forprofit 4-year

Public 4-year

Percent

First-generation student

Parent had some college

Parent had bachelor’s degree
Postsecondary Education

20

Figure 4—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to Carnegie

Figure 4—classification of initial institution, by first-generation status

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Includes public and private, not-for-profit 4-year institutions. Students in

private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

31

41

21

6

37 38

18

7

52

26 19

3

0

20

40

60

80

100

Research/doctoral

universities

Comprehensive

universities

Baccalaureate Other

Percent

First-generation student Parent had some college Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

First-generation students were also more likely than students whose parents had bachelor’s

degrees to work full time and attend college part time (table 6). A larger proportion of firstgeneration students attended college on a part-time basis than did students whose parents had a

bachelor’s degree (27 percent versus 22 percent). This finding may be partly due to the fact that

first-generation students were also more than twice as likely as those with college-degreed parents to report working full time while in school (22 percent versus 9 percent).

Table 6—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to enrollment and

Table 6—employment status in 1997–98 academic year, by first-generation status

First-generation Parent had Parent had bachelor’s

Total student some college or advanced degree

 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Enrollment status1

 Full time 75.6 72.9 73.9 78.3 

 Less than full time 24.4 27.1 26.1 21.7 

Employment status2

 Did not work while enrolled 29.5 24.8 22.5 33.2 

 Worked part time while enrolled 56.7 53.6 61.1 57.8 

 Worked full time while enrolled 13.8 21.6 16.4 9.0 

1

Less than full-time enrollment status includes students who reported always attending postsecondary education on a part-time basis and

those who reported “mixed” enrollment status, including some part-time and some full-time. 2

Part-time employment status indicates working less than 35 hours per week.

NOTE: Column details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Non-first-generation student
Postsecondary Education

21

By the end of the 1997–98 academic year, these two student groups also reported choosing

different fields of study (table 7). First-generation students were less likely than those whose parents had college degrees to declare social/behavioral sciences and life sciences as their major

field of study (11 and 6 percent versus 17 and 10 percent, respectively). However, firstgeneration students were much more likely than students whose parents completed college to

choose business/management as their major field of study (25 percent versus 17 percent). This

finding may be related to previous research that shows that “being very well off financially” was

very important to first-generation students (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998).

Academic Performance

Thus far this report has confirmed previous research indicating clear differences between

first-generation and non-first-generation students on such dimensions as secondary academic

preparation, postsecondary enrollment behavior, and field of study (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin

1998). The next section takes this comparison one step further by examining two key issues:

whether students’ postsecondary academic performance differs by their first-generation and nonfirst-generation status, and if large differences do exist between the groups, whether this difference remains after controlling for high school academic preparation and entrance examination

test scores. To address these questions, the analysis used two measures of academic performance:

college grade-point average (GPA) and the number of remedial courses that students took during

their first year of college.

As shown in table 8, first-generation students and students whose parents had some college

earned lower overall GPAs than did students whose parents completed college (2.6 each versus

2.8 points). Also, first-generation students were more likely than students whose parents had a

college degree to have taken one or more remedial courses during their first year in college (21

percent versus 10 percent) (table 9).

Controlling for Academic Rigor of High School Courses

The rigor of students’ high school curriculum was strongly associated with their first-year

GPA. As overall rigor in the curriculum increased so did students’ GPA; on average, students

whose high school coursework did not exceed the core New Basics curriculum had a lower GPA

than did those who took rigorous coursework (2.5 points versus 3.1 points) (table 8). This finding

suggests that those students who took difficult courses in high school were better prepared for the

academic rigors of college.
Table 7—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students attending 4-year institutions according to majo

Table 7—1997–98 academic year, by first-generation status

Social/ Physical Computer/ 

Undeclared/ behavioral Life sciences/ information Business/ 

no major Humanities sciences sciences mathematics science Education Engineeringmanagement Heal

 Total 3.3 13.1 14.7 8.4 2.5 3.6 8.4 6.6 19.5 8.2 First-generation status First-generation student 4.2 10.2 10.9 6.2 1.8 3.4 10.1 6.1 25.4 8.8  Non-first-generation student 2.9 14.0 16.2 9.5 2.8 3.7 8.0 6.7 17.1 8.0  Parent had some college 4.0 12.0 12.5 7.8 2.6 4.4 8.4 6.3 18.7 11.2  Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree 2.5 14.6 17.4 10.0 2.9 3.4 7.8 6.9 16.5 6.9 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size percent).SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Foll
Postsecondary Education

23

Table 8—First-year grade-point average (GPA) of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to

Table 8—college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and academic rigor of secondary school

Table 8—curriculum, by first-generation status

College entrance examination score

Lowest Middle Highest

quartile quartiles quartile Core Beyond Beyond

(790 (800– (1100 New Basics New New

Total or lower) 1090) or higher) or below Basics I Basics II Rigorous

 Total 2.7 2.2 2.7 3.1 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.1

First-generation status

 First-generation student 2.6 2.2 2.7 3.1 2.4 2.5 2.7 3.0

 Non-first-generation student

 Parent had some college 2.6 2.3 2.6 3.2 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.1

 Parent had bachelor’s

 or advanced degree 2.8 2.3 2.8 3.1 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.1

NOTE: Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less

than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The

SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT

combined score. Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies.

Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and

geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and

physics) and advanced math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New

Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus),

plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement test score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students 

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Overall rigor

In addition, among students whose secondary curriculum did not exceed the core New Basics or only somewhat exceeded it, first-generation students had a lower GPA than students

whose parents had a college education. Among students whose secondary curriculum somewhat

exceeded the core New Basics, first-generation students had a 2.5 GPA, while students whose

parents had completed college had a GPA of 2.8. The differences between first-generation students and those whose parents earned a degree, however, were not observed among students

whose secondary curriculum was rigorous or substantially exceeded the core New Basics.

As with students’ first-year GPA, the rigor of students’ high school curriculum was related

to the number of remedial courses taken during the first year of postsecondary education (table

9). Overall, as the rigor of the secondary curriculum rigor increased, the proportion of students

who took one or more remedial courses decreased from 21 percent to 3 percent. Among students

who somewhat or substantially exceeded the core New Basics in high school, first-generation

students were more likely than students whose parents finished college to have taken one or more

remedial courses during their first year of postsecondary education. For example, 15 percent of

first-generation students whose secondary curriculum substantially exceeded the core New Basics took one or more remedial courses, compared with 6 percent of their counterparts whose

parents had completed college. In contrast, among students who took rigorous coursework in high

school, first-generation students did not differ from either group of non-first-generation students.
Postsecondary Education

24

Table 9—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to number of

Table 9—remedial education courses taken during first year of postsecondary enrollment, by academic rigor

Table 9—of secondary school curriculum and first-generation status

None One or more

 Total 85.0 15.0 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 79.2 20.8 

 Beyond New Basics I 83.0 17.1 

 Beyond New Basics II 90.9 9.2 

 Rigorous 96.6 3.4 

 Total 79.0 21.0 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 76.6 23.4 

 Beyond New Basics I 76.7 23.3 

 Beyond New Basics II 85.1 14.9 

 Rigorous 94.7 5.3 

 Total 90.1 9.9 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 83.7 16.3 

 Beyond New Basics I 88.0 12.0 

 Beyond New Basics II 94.0 6.0 

 Rigorous 97.0 3.0 

 Total 82.2 17.8 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 76.2 23.8 

 Beyond New Basics I 79.5 20.5 

 Beyond New Basics II 89.5 10.5 

 Rigorous 95.8 4.2 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this 

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New 

Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement test score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Remedial courses

Parent had some college

First-generation
Postsecondary Education

25

Controlling for College Entrance Examinations

As with the rigor of students’ high school curriculum, students’ college entrance examination scores were strongly associated with their first-year GPAs. Students with higher college entrance examination scores tended also to have higher first-year GPAs (table 8). For example, on

average, first-generation students who scored 790 points or lower on the SAT/ACT earned lower

grades in the first year of college than their counterparts who scored at least 1100 points on the

college entrance examination (2.2 GPA versus 3.1 GPA).

Taking this relationship between high school achievement and postsecondary performance

into account, there was little variation between the two groups. That is, after controlling for entrance examination scores, no significant differences were found between the GPAs of firstgeneration and non-first-generation students. In addition, though a seemingly large proportion of

all students took remedial courses during their first year of postsecondary education (15 percent),

this was related to their entrance examination scores. As college entrance examination scores increased, the percentage of students taking one or more remedial classes during their first year of

postsecondary education decreased from 35 percent to 2 percent (table 10).

Students’ scores on entrance examinations were also related to differences between firstgeneration and non-first-generation students in remedial coursetaking. Among those in the lowest

quartile, first-generation students were more likely than students whose parents had earned a

bachelor’s degree (but not those whose parents had some college education) to have taken one or

more remedial classes during their first year of postsecondary education (38 percent versus 29

percent and 36 percent, respectively). Among students who scored in the middle or highest college entrance examination quartile, first-generation students were no more likely than their nonfirst-generation counterparts to have taken one or more remedial courses at this time.
Postsecondary Education

26

Table 10—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to number of

Table 10—remedial education courses taken during first year of postsecondary enrollment, by college

Table 10—entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation status

None One or more

 Total 85.0 15.0 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 65.5 34.5 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 89.9 10.1 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 97.7 2.3 

 Total 79.0 21.0 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 62.0 38.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 88.6 11.4 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 96.1 3.9 

 Total 90.1 9.9 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 71.3 28.7 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 91.3 8.7 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 97.9 2.1 

 Total 82.2 17.8 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 64.1 36.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 88.0 12.0 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 98.1 1.9 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Remedial courses

First-generation

Parent had some college
27

Persistence and Attainment

Previous research on first-generation students showed that they were less likely than their

non-first-generation counterparts to have completed their postsecondary education within 5 years.

This negative trend was especially evident for students who began at 4-year public and private,

not-for-profit institutions (Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin 1998). The current analysis extends this

previous research by investigating the possible source of variation between the groups: that is,

does this difference remain after controlling for high school academic preparation and college

entrance examination scores? To address this question, this analysis looks at the following dimensions of persistence and attainment: 1) number of enrollment spells, 2) retention at the initial

4-year institution, 3) persistence track to a bachelor’s degree, and 4) attainment or last academic

year of enrollment through 1998.

Number of Enrollment Spells

An “enrollment spell” is a period of continuous enrollment at one or more institutions. One

spell ends each time the student is not enrolled in a postsecondary education institution for more

than 4 months. The new spell does not start until they enroll again. In this analysis, the number of

enrollment spells was calculated as of the First Follow-up survey, which took place in spring

1998 about 3 years after the beginning postsecondary students initially enrolled. Enrollment spell

is an important indicator of persistence and attainment because breaks in enrollment continuity

will increase the time required to complete a program of study (Berkner, McCormick, and Cuccaro-Alamin 1996).

First-generation students were more likely than their peers whose parents completed college to have two or more enrollment spells (15 percent versus 10 percent) (table 11). This finding

was particularly strong among students whose secondary curriculum somewhat exceeded the core

New Basics, where first-generation students were more likely than students whose parents had a

college education to have experienced two or more enrollment spells (18 percent versus 8 percent). Similarly, first-generation students were more likely than students with parents who completed college to experience two or more postsecondary enrollment spells when their college

entrance examination scores were in the middle quartiles (17 percent versus 9 percent) (table 12).

The same was not true for students who substantially exceed the core New Basics or took rigorous coursework or who scored in the top quartile, however; across levels of parents’ education,

there were no differences in the likelihood of having two or more enrollment spells.
Persistence and Attainment

28

Table 11—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to number of

Table 11—enrollment spells as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of secondary school curriculum and firstTable 11—generation status

One Two or more

 Total 87.8 12.2 

Overall rigor 86.0 14.0 

 Core New Basics or below 87.2 12.8 

 Beyond New Basics I 89.4 10.6 

 Beyond New Basics II 93.5 6.5 

 Rigorous

 Total 84.6 15.4 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 86.5 13.5 

 Beyond New Basics I 82.3 17.7 

 Beyond New Basics II 83.4 16.6 

 Rigorous 89.5 10.5 

 Total 90.0 10.0 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 85.3 14.7 

 Beyond New Basics I 91.7 8.3 

 Beyond New Basics II 91.4 8.6 

 Rigorous 94.2 5.8 

 Total 85.4 14.6 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 83.1 16.9 

 Beyond New Basics I 85.0 15.0 

 Beyond New Basics II 91.4 8.6 

 Rigorous 89.0 11.0 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this 

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New 

Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement test score. An enrollment spell is a period of nonenrollment

greater than four months. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

First-generation

Parent had some college

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Enrollment spells
Persistence and Attainment

29

Table 12—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to number of

Table 12—enrollment spells as of spring 1998, by college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite)

Table 12—and first-generation status

One Two or more

 Total 87.8 12.2 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 84.4 15.6 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 88.7 11.4 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 91.4 8.7 

 Total 84.6 15.4 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 84.8 15.2 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 83.5 16.5 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 85.8 14.2 

 Total 90.0 10.0 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 85.0 15.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 91.3 8.7 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 92.4 7.6 

 Total 85.4 14.6 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 81.5 18.5 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 85.7 14.3 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 92.2 7.8 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

First-generation

Parent had some college

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Enrollment spells

Enrollment at Initial Institution 3 Years Later

This section describes students’ status with respect to the initial 4-year institution as of the

First Follow-up survey: that is, were students still enrolled at their initial postsecondary institution in June 1998? In general, first-generation students were less likely than students whose parents had completed a 4-year degree to be enrolled continuously at the initial institution or to have

attained a degree at their initial institution (60 percent versus 73 percent) (table 13). Also, they

were more likely than their peers whose parents had finished college to have stopped out or left

their first institution (19 percent versus 8 percent).
Persistence and Attainment

30

Table 13—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to outcome of

Table 13—first spell of continuous enrollment at first institution as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of

Table 13—secondary school curriculum and first-generation status

Still enrolled/ Left

attained at initial postsecondary

institution Transferred education

 Total 66.9 20.3 12.8 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 61.8 22.9 15.3 

 Beyond New Basics I 66.7 24.3 9.0 

 Beyond New Basics II 69.0 21.9 9.1 

 Rigorous 83.5 13.5 3.1 

First-generation

 Total 60.1 20.7 19.3 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 54.6 23.5 21.9 

 Beyond New Basics I 64.7 26.4 8.9 

 Beyond New Basics II 64.8 26.0 9.2 

 Rigorous 86.7 10.5 2.8 

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

 Total 72.8 19.4 7.8 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 67.4 25.4 7.2 

 Beyond New Basics I 68.1 22.1 9.8 

 Beyond New Basics II 72.3 17.6 10.2 

 Rigorous 85.5 12.0 2.5 

Parent had some college

 Total 60.9 23.1 16.1 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 57.0 20.4 22.6 

 Beyond New Basics I 64.0 28.4 7.6 

 Beyond New Basics II 67.6 23.3 9.1 

 Rigorous 74.4 17.6 8.0 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this 

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New 

Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement test score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).
Persistence and Attainment

31

Students’ academic preparation was also related to their enrollment at their initial postsecondary institution 3 years later. As the rigor of students’ high school curriculum increased, so

did the percentage of students who were still enrolled (or had attained a degree) at their first institution in June 1998—from 62 percent to 84 percent. Also, as rigor of the high school curriculum increased, the percentage of all students who transferred or stopped out or left their initial

institution decreased.

Holding secondary curriculum rigor constant, there were only two differences between the

enrollment patterns of students who were first generation and those who were not. Among students whose secondary curriculum was not rigorous, first-generation students were less likely

than students whose parents had completed college (but not those whose parents had some college) to still be enrolled or have attained a degree 3 years later (55 percent versus 67 percent).

Paralleling this trend, first-generation students whose secondary curriculum was not rigorous

were more likely to have stopped out or left their initial institution than students whose parents

had graduated from college (but not those whose parents had some college) (22 percent versus 7

percent).

These differences, however, were not apparent among students who took rigorous courses

in high school. In these cases, first-generation students were as likely as their non-first-generation

counterparts to be enrolled or have attained a degree in spring 1998. For example, among students who took rigorous coursework, 87 percent of first-generation students were still enrolled 3

years after entering college, compared with 86 percent of their counterparts whose parents had a

bachelor’s degree.

Academic achievement was also related to students’ enrollment status (table 14). As students’ college entrance examination scores increased, so did the percentage of students who were

still enrolled or had attained a degree at their initial institution. Conversely, as academic

achievement increased, the percentage of students who transferred or left postsecondary education decreased.

Holding college entrance examination scores constant, there was only one difference between first-generation and non-first-generation students with regard to their enrollment at their

first institution 3 years later. Among students who scored in the lowest quartile in their college

entrance examinations, first-generation students were more likely than students whose parents

had completed college to have stopped out or left their first institution (21 percent versus 12 percent). Among students who scored in higher quartiles, however, parents’ level of education was

not related to enrollment in June 1998. For example, first-generation students were as likely as

students whose parents had completed college to be continuously enrolled (or have attained a degree) 3 years after entering their initial institution (81 percent for each group).
Persistence and Attainment

32

Table 14—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to outcome of

Table 14—first spell of continuous enrollment at first institution as of spring 1998, by college entrance

Table 14—examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation status

Still enrolled/ Left

attained at initial postsecondary

institution Transferred education

 Total 66.9 20.3 12.8 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 55.2 27.1 17.7 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 69.1 21.4 9.6 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 80.4 13.6 6.0 

First-generation

 Total 60.1 20.7 19.3 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 52.3 27.2 20.5 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 66.3 22.7 11.0 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 81.1 10.6 8.3 

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

 Total 72.8 19.4 7.8 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 60.5 27.5 12.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 72.2 20.6 7.2 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 80.6 13.4 6.0 

Parent had some college

 Total 60.9 23.1 16.1 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 48.9 30.5 20.6 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 64.9 21.0 14.2 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 77.2 16.5 6.3 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Persistence Track to a Bachelor’s Degree

This section describes students’ enrollment behavior through June 1998, focusing on whether

students stayed on a “persistence track” toward attaining a bachelor’s degree. In this study, a student

who stays on the persistence track either remains at the initial 4-year institution in which they enrolled or makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with no break in enrollment.
Persistence and Attainment

33

Overall, first-generation students were less likely than students whose parents had completed a 4-year degree to stay on the persistence track (58 percent versus 77 percent) (table 15).

Table 15—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to enrollment

Table 15—status as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of secondary school curriculum and first-generation

Table 15—status

Stayed on Left Left

persistence track persistence track without return

 Total 68.0 17.9 14.0 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 62.1 21.1 16.8 

 Beyond New Basics I 69.7 20.0 10.3 

 Beyond New Basics II 72.0 17.8 10.2 

 Rigorous 86.6 9.2 4.2 

First-generation

 Total 57.7 21.8 20.5 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 55.0 21.8 23.2 

 Beyond New Basics I 65.5 25.0 9.6 

 Beyond New Basics II 63.7 25.8 10.5 

 Rigorous 81.2 14.0 4.8 

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

 Total 76.5 14.3 9.1 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 69.2 21.5 9.4 

 Beyond New Basics I 74.7 13.8 11.5 

 Beyond New Basics II 76.1 12.7 11.2 

 Rigorous 89.1 7.5 3.4 

Parent had some college

 Total 60.6 22.3 17.1 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 55.1 21.6 23.4 

 Beyond New Basics I 65.5 25.7 8.8 

 Beyond New Basics II 68.8 20.9 10.3 

 Rigorous 79.2 11.9 8.9 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this 

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of

three science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New 

Basics II includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I,

geometry, algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology,

chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language

and one honors/Advanced Placement course or Advanced Placement test score. A student who stays on the persistence track

either remains at the initial 4-year institution in which they enrolled or makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with

no break in enrollment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).
Persistence and Attainment

34

Compared with their peers whose parents finished college, first-generation students were more

likely to have left the persistence track (22 percent versus 14 percent), and were more than twice

as likely to have left their first institution without returning (21 percent versus 9 percent).

Not surprisingly, given the findings related to the first enrollment spell, academic preparation was also related to students’ remaining on the persistence track. As the rigor of students’

high school curriculum increased, so did the likelihood that they would stay on the persistence

track toward earning a bachelor’s degree: 87 percent of all students who took rigorous academic

coursework in high school stayed on the persistence track, while only 62 percent of students who

did not take such coursework did so.

Differences between first-generation and non-first-generation students remained after controlling for the rigor of high school coursetaking. For example, among students whose secondary

curriculum did not exceed the core New Basics, 55 percent of first-generation students stayed on

the persistence track, compared with 69 percent of students whose parents had a bachelor’s degree or more. Likewise, first-generation students who substantially exceeded the core New Basics in high school were more likely than their peers whose parents completed college to leave

the persistence track (26 percent versus 13 percent). Finally, first-generation students whose

coursework did not exceed the core New Basics left postsecondary education without returning at

about double the rate of their counterparts whose parents had completed college (23 percent versus 9 percent).

However, much like the findings regarding the first enrollment spell, such differences were

not apparent among students who took the most rigorous high school curricula. Regardless of

first-generation status, between 79 and 89 percent of students who took rigorous curricula stayed

on the persistence track. In addition, first-generation students who took rigorous curricula in high

school were no more likely than their peers whose parents had a bachelor’s degree to leave postsecondary education completely (5 percent versus 3 percent).

Controlling for students’ scores on college entrance examinations yielded similar findings

(table 16). As students’ scores on these examinations increased, so did their likelihood of staying

on the persistence track to the bachelor’s degree: 83 percent of all students who scored in the

highest quartile stayed on the persistence track, compared with only 55 percent of students scoring in the lowest quartile. First-generation students were less likely than students whose parents

had a college degree to stay on the persistence track when their college entrance examination

scores were in the lowest quartile (52 percent versus 63 percent) or in the middle quartile (65

percent versus 78 percent). In contrast, these two student groups did not differ with respect to

staying on the persistence track when they scored in the highest quartile on college entrance examinations (75 percent versus 84 percent).
Persistence and Attainment

35

Table 16—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to enrollment 

Table 16—status as of spring 1998, by college entrance examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and firstTable 16—generation status

Stayed on Left Left

persistence track persistence track without return

 Total 68.0 17.9 14.0 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 55.2 25.2 19.6 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 71.4 17.8 10.8 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 82.8 10.5 6.7 

First-generation

 Total 57.7 21.8 20.5 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 52.0 25.9 22.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 65.4 22.6 12.1 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 74.5 15.9 9.6 

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

 Total 76.5 14.3 9.1 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 62.6 22.5 14.9 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 77.5 13.9 8.6 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 84.0 9.6 6.5 

Parent had some college

 Total 60.6 22.3 17.1 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 48.5 29.5 22.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 62.3 22.6 15.1 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 83.8 9.4 6.8 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score. A student who stays on the persistence track

either remains at the initial 4-year institution in which they enrolled or makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with

no break in enrollment. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Who Leaves Postsecondary Education

First-generation students were more likely than students whose parents had a bachelor’s

degree to leave college without returning by spring 1998 (table 16). Consistent with this pattern,
Persistence and Attainment

36

first-generation students were less likely than students whose parents had completed college to be

enrolled 3 years after entering a 4-year institution (68 percent versus 86 percent) (table 17).9

Once again, the rigor of students’ high school coursework made a difference in who left

college and who stayed enrolled: the percentage of students who were enrolled and still working

for a degree increased as the rigor of students’ high school coursework increased (table 17).

First-generation status also made a difference for the least prepared students. After controlling for academic preparation, first-generation students who did not take a rigorous curriculum in

high school were less likely than students whose parents completed college to be enrolled 3 years

after entering a 4-year institution (65 percent versus 85 percent). However, among students who

were more prepared—that is, students whose high school curriculum was rigorous—no differences in persistence were found according to students’ parental level of education. For example,

a large majority of both first-generation students (88 percent) and students whose parents completed college (94 percent) were still enrolled in June 1998.

In addition, students’ college entrance examination scores were related to who left college

and who stayed enrolled (table 18). The higher their college examination score, the less likely

students were to leave postsecondary education during the first 2 years of college: 74 percent of

students in the lowest quartile of examination scores were still working toward or had attained a

degree in spring 1998, whereas 85 percent to 92 percent of their peers with higher scores reported

the same. After controlling for academic preparation, first-generation students scoring in the lowest quartile were more likely than students whose parents had completed college to have left

postsecondary education during the second academic year (1996–97). However, among students

who scored in the highest quartile, first-generation students were as likely as students whose parents completed college to be enrolled.

 

9The results show a slightly higher proportion of first-generation students had attained a degree by June 1998, compared with

students whose parents had a bachelor’s degree (5 percent versus 3 percent). This is probably due to the fact that first-generation

students transferred down more often and then earned an associate’s or vocational certificate from a 2-year institution.
Persistence and Attainment

37

Table 17—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to attainment

Table 17—level and year of postsecondary departure 3 years later (spring 1998), by academic rigor of

Table 17—secondary curriculum and first-generation status

Total

attained or Attained Left without Left without Left without

still enrolled by spring Still return in return in return in

spring 1998 1998 enrolled 1997–98 1996–97 1995–96

 Total 81.7 4.0 77.7 4.1 7.2 7.0 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 78.6 3.6 75.0 4.9 9.4 7.2 

 Beyond New Basics I 85.1 3.7 81.4 4.5 5.8 4.6 

 Beyond New Basics II 86.4 2.5 83.9 4.4 5.4 3.9 

 Rigorous 95.0 2.4 92.6 1.4 2.4 1.2 

 Total 73.1 5.2 67.9 4.9 11.6 10.3 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 70.0 5.5 64.5 7.1 12.9 9.9 

 Beyond New Basics I 84.9 5.0 79.9 2.4 8.1 4.6 

 Beyond New Basics II 86.3 3.9 82.4 5.4 6.0 2.4 

 Rigorous 92.9 5.4 87.5 1.7 4.4 1.0 

 Total 88.3 2.8 85.5 3.6 4.2 3.9 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 87.6 2.2 85.4 3.3 6.2 2.9 

 Beyond New Basics I 86.7 3.5 83.2 5.0 3.0 5.4 

 Beyond New Basics II 85.8 0.9 84.9 4.5 4.6 5.1 

 Rigorous 96.1 1.7 94.4 1.4 0.9 1.7 

 Total 76.6 5.6 71.0 4.6 10.0 8.8 

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 70.3 2.8 67.5 5.9 12.2 11.6 

 Beyond New Basics I 82.2 3.0 79.2 5.2 9.9 2.7 

 Beyond New Basics II 84.4 6.9 77.5 3.4 8.5 3.6 

 Rigorous 89.5 2.6 86.9 1.6 8.9 0.0 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis

because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3 years of

mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of three science

courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New Basics II includes core

New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II), plus 2

years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4 years of math

(including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced Placement course or

Advanced Placement test score. Attained by spring 1998 refers to attainment at any 4-year institution and not only attainment at initial

institution attended.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

No degree

First-generation

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Parent had some college
Persistence and Attainment

38

Table 18—Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students according to attainment

Table 18—level and year of postsecondary departure 3 years later (spring 1998), by college entrance

Table 18—examination score (SAT/ACT composite) and first-generation status

Total

attained or Attained Left without Left without Left without

still enrolled by spring Still return in return in return in

spring 1998 1998 enrolled 1997–98 1996–97 1995–96

 Total 81.7 4.0 77.7 4.1 7.2 7.0 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 73.9 5.0 68.9 6.0 10.7 9.5 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 84.8 2.7 82.1 4.1 6.7 4.4 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 92.2 2.4 89.8 2.1 2.7 3.0 

 Total 73.1 5.2 67.9 4.9 11.6 10.3 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 71.1 6.4 64.7 4.2 13.8 10.9 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 80.6 2.7 77.9 6.3 8.2 4.9 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 87.2 5.9 81.3 3.5 8.1 1.2 

 Total 88.3 2.8 85.5 3.6 4.2 3.9 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 81.5 5.1 76.4 6.5 5.0 7.0 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 88.7 2.1 86.6 3.6 5.2 2.5 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 92.7 1.9 90.8 1.7 1.5 4.1 

 Total 76.6 5.6 71.0 4.6 10.0 8.8 

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (790 or lower) 68.4 4.0 64.4 7.9 14.2 9.5 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 78.4 3.9 74.5 3.3 9.4 9.0 

 Highest quartile (1100 or higher) 93.2 3.1 90.1 2.5 3.8 0.5 

NOTE: Details may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this

analysis because the sample size was too small (less than 1 percent). The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American

College Test (ACT) are college entrance examinations. The SAT/ACT variable is the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores

or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT/ACT combined score. Attained by spring 1998 refers to attainment

at any 4-year institution and not only attainment at initial institution attended.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

No degree

First-generation

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

Parent had some college
39

Controlling for Related Variables

The tabular analyses presented thus far have compared parents’ education levels with students’ preparation for postsecondary education, college enrollment and academic performance,

and persistence and attainment. To answer the study’s main research question—do firstgeneration students (who were otherwise as prepared academically as their counterparts) persist

in college at a rate similar to that of students whose parents went to college—multiple regression

analysis is necessary to determine the independent effects of specific variables on selected outcomes.

Two outcomes were examined in regression analyses: the proportion of students who were

retained at the initial institution as of spring 1998 and the proportion of students who stayed on

the persistence track to a bachelor’s degree. The following independent variables were included

in these models:

Students’ background

Parents’ education (some college or college graduates versus high school or less (firstgeneration))

Family income (low or high quartile versus middle two quartiles)

Marital status (married versus not married)

Race/ethnicity (black/non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaskan Native versus white)

Gender (male versus female)

Preparation for postsecondary education

Overall rigor of academic coursework (beyond New Basics I & II or rigorous versus core

New Basics or below)

College entrance examinations (low or high quartile versus middle two quartiles)
Controlling for Related Variables

40

Postsecondary status

Enrollment status (full-time versus part-time)

Employment status (did not work or part-time versus full-time employment)

Postsecondary academic performance

First-year GPA (low or high quartile versus middle two quartiles)

Remedial courses (no remedial course taken versus one or more remedial courses taken)

Enrollment at Initial Institution 3 Years Later

The first regression model examined how likely beginning postsecondary students were to

stay enrolled at their initial institution, controlling for the independent variables listed above. The

results are presented in table 19. The first column of numbers provides the unadjusted percentages—that is, the proportion of students who stayed enrolled at the first institution before adjusting for covariation among all other independent variables. The second column shows the

adjusted percentages—that is, the expected percentages for various subgroups after adjusting for

covariance among the other variables. All comparisons and tests of statistical significance (indicated with asterisks) are made in relation to the reference group, which is presented in italics.

After adjusting for covariance among all variables, parents’ education continued to be a

significant factor in whether a student stayed at the initial institution. Compared with firstgeneration students, those whose parents attained a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely

to persist at the initial institution in which they were enrolled. Even after controlling for interrelated variables such as family income, enrollment/employment status, and academic preparation

and postsecondary achievement, first-generation status still had a negative effect on students’

persistence at the initial institution in which they were enrolled relative to students whose parents

completed college. At the same time, academic preparedness proved to be an important predictor

of persistence at initial institution. After controlling for postsecondary achievement and parents’

education as well as all other variables, students who took rigorous coursework in high school

increased their chances of remaining at the 4-year institution in which they first enrolled.

Other characteristics associated with higher rates of retention in the original institution included having higher first-year GPAs; enrolling full time, rather than part time; and not working

or only working part time, rather than working full time, while enrolled.
Controlling for Related Variables

41

Table 19—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who persisted at initial institution

Table 19—and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the covariation of the variables listed

Table 19—in the table

Unadjusted Adjusted Least squares Standard 

percentages1 percentages2 coefficient3

error4

 Total 66.9 66.9 51.6 4.35 

Overall rigor of coursework

 Beyond New Basics I 66.7 66.0 2.2 2.31 

 Beyond New Basics II 69.0 67.3 3.5 2.52 

 Rigorous 83.5* 73.0* 9.2 2.88 

 Core New Basics or below 61.8 63.8 † †

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (400–790) 55.2* 62.4* -5.1 2.39 

 Highest quartile (1091–1600) 80.4* 70.4 2.9 2.39 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 69.1 67.5 † †

First-generation status

 Parents had some college 60.9 64.2 -0.5 2.64 

 Parents had bachelor’s degree 72.8* 69.2* 4.5 2.24 

 First-generation 60.0 64.7 † †

First-year GPA

 Lowest quartile (0– 2.11) 41.2* 46.0* -26.3 2.24 

 Highest quartile (3.27–4.0) 79.9* 77.5* 5.3 2.31 

 Middle quartiles (2.12–3.26) 72.6 72.2 † †

Remedial courses

 No remedial course taken 68.3* 66.7 -1.5 2.64 

 One or more remedial courses taken 58.6 68.2 † †

Enrollment status

 Full-time 70.6* 68.4* 6.3 2.17 

 Part-time 55.5 62.2 † †

Employment status

 Did not work 77.0* 70.5* 15.6 3.03 

 Part-time 74.0* 67.9* 13.0 2.80 

 Full-time 50.8 54.9 † †

Gender

 Male 66.2 67.3 -8.5 4.87 

 Female 67.4 66.6 † †

Marital status

 Married 48.5* 58.7 -8.5 4.87 

 Not married 67.6 67.2 † †
Controlling for Related Variables

42

Table 19—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who persisted at initial institution

Table 19—and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the covariation of the variables listed

Table 19—in the table—Continued

Unadjusted Adjusted Least squares Standard 

percentages1 percentages2 coefficient3

error4

Race/ethnicity

 Black, non-Hispanic 59.0* 69.9 4.2 3.20 

 Hispanic 64.1 68.4 2.7 2.90 

 Asian/Pacific Islander 75.4 72.8 7.1 3.81 

 American Indian/Alaskan Native 75.9 74.2 8.5 11.25 

 White 67.7 65.7 † †

Percentile rank of family income

 Lowest quartile 62.1 66.5 -5.1 2.39 

 Highest quartile 70.0 66.0 2.9 2.39 

 Middle quartiles 67.0 67.6 † †

*p<.05.

† Not applicable for the reference group.

1

The estimates are from the BPS:96/98 Data Analysis System.

2

The percentages are adjusted for differences associated with other variables in the table (see appendix B).

3

Least squares coefficient multiplied by 100 to reflect percentage (see appendix B).

4

Standard error of least squares coefficient, adjusted for design effect multiplied by 100 to reflect percentage (see appendix B).

NOTE: Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less

than 1 percent). College entrance examinations include the SAT I and ACT. Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of three

science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New Basics II

includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I, geometry,

algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4

years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced

Placement course or Advanced Placement test score.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

Persistence Track to a Bachelor’s Degree

The second regression model examined how likely beginning postsecondary students were

to stay on the persistence track to a bachelor’s degree—that is, to remain at their initial institution

or make a lateral transfer to a comparable 4-year institution. This model used the same independent variables described above. The results are presented in table 20.

As with retention at the initial institution of enrollment, after adjusting for covariance

among all other variables, parents’ education remained a significant factor in whether a student

stayed on the persistence track. Compared with first-generation students, those whose parents

attained a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely to stay on the track to a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, academic preparedness also continued to be an important predictor of staying

power. After controlling for postsecondary achievement and parents’ education as well as all
Controlling for Related Variables

43

Table 20—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who stayed on persistence track to

Table 20—bachelor’s degree and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the covariation of the

Table 20—variables listed in the table

Unadjusted Adjusted Least squares Standard 

percentages1 percentages2 coefficient3

error4

 Total 68.0 68.0 42.0 3.91 

Overall rigor of coursework

 Beyond New Basics I 69.7* 67.8 3.8 2.08 

 Beyond New Basics II 72.0* 69.7* 5.8 2.26 

 Rigorous 86.0* 73.4* 9.4 2.59 

 Core New Basics or below 62.1 63.9 † †

College entrance examinations

 Lowest quartile (400–790) 55.2* 65.3 -3.5 2.15 

 Highest quartile (1091–1600) 82.8* 69.3 0.5 2.15 

 Middle quartiles (800–1090) 71.4 68.8 † †

First generation status

 Parents had some college 60.6 64.5 0.4 2.38 

 Parents had bachelor’s degree 76.5* 71.6* 7.5 2.02 

 First-generation 57.7 64.1 † †

First-year GPA

 Lowest quartile (0– 2.11) 35.3* 41.7* -32.9 2.01 

 Highest quartile (3.27–4.0) 84.8* 81.8* 7.3 2.08 

 Middle quartiles (2.12–3.26) 75.3 74.6 † †

Remedial courses

 No remedial course taken 70.0* 67.9 -1.2 2.38 

 One or more remedial courses taken 57.9 69.1 † †

Enrollment status

 Full-time 73.4* 70.4* 9.9 1.95 

 Part-time 51.5 60.6 † †

Employment status

 Did not work 79.3* 71.8* 22.9 2.73 

 Part-time 77.6* 70.7* 21.7 2.52 

 Full-time 42.1 49.0 † †

Gender

 Male 65.3* 66.7 -2.4 1.62 

 Female 70.2 69.1 † †

Marital status

 Married 37.5* 52.5* -16.1 4.38 

 Not married 69.2 68.6 † †
Controlling for Related Variables

44

Table 20—Percentage of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students who stayed on persistence track to

Table 20—bachelor’s degree and the adjusted percentage after taking into account the covariation of the

Table 20—variables listed in the table—Continued

Unadjusted Adjusted Least squares Standard 

percentages1 percentages2 coefficient3

error4

Race/ethnicity

 Black, non-Hispanic 56.4* 70.0 3.4 2.88 

 Hispanic 66.1 72.5* 5.9 2.61 

 Asian/Pacific Islander 74.5 72.4 5.8 3.43 

 American Indian/Alaskan Native 82.1 82.5 15.9 10.12 

 White 69.2 66.6 † †

Percentile rank of family income

 Lowest quartile 59.6* 64.8 -3.2 2.08 

 Highest quartile 75.8* 70.8 2.8 1.96 

 Middle quartiles 67.0 68.0 † †

*p<.05.

† Not applicable for the reference group.

1

The estimates are from the BPS:96/98 Data Analysis System.

2

The percentages are adjusted for differences associated with other variables in the table (see appendix B).

3

Least squares coefficient multiplied by 100 to reflect percentage (see appendix B).

4

Standard error of least squares coefficient, adjusted for design effect multiplied by 100 to reflect percentage (see appendix B).

NOTE: Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small (less

than 1 percent). College entrance examinations include the SAT I and ACT. Core New Basics curriculum includes 4 years of English, 3

years of mathematics, 3 years of science and social studies. Beyond New Basics I includes core New Basics and at least two of three

science courses (biology, chemistry, or physics), algebra I and geometry, plus 1 year of foreign language. Beyond New Basics II

includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced math (including algebra I, geometry,

algebra II), plus 2 years of foreign language. Rigorous includes core New Basics, advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4

years of math (including algebra I, geometry, algebra II, precalculus), plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced

Placement course or Advanced Placement test score. A student who stays on the persistence track either remains at the initial 4-year

institution in which they enrolled or makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with no break in enrollment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).

other variables, students who at least substantially exceeded the core New Basics in high school

increased their chances of staying on the persistence track compared with students who took nonrigorous coursework.

Similar to the previous regression model, other variables associated with higher rates of

persistence included having higher first-year GPAs, enrolling full time versus part time, and not

working or only working part time versus working full time while enrolled. However, unlike the

findings on retention at the first institution, married students were less likely than unmarried students to stay on the persistence track and Hispanic students were more likely than white students

to stay on the persistence track.
45

Conclusions

First-generation students—students who represent at least one-quarter of high school

graduates—are less likely than their counterparts whose parents have more education to be prepared academically for postsecondary education. Consequently, first-generation students are less

likely to enroll in 4-year institutions and, if they do, are less likely to persist in college. To understand the roots of these outcomes, this study examined how academic preparation in high school

affects the differences in outcomes of first-generation students and non-first-generation students.

First and foremost, students who took rigorous coursework in high school were very likely

to persist in 4-year postsecondary institutions. In addition, rigorous academic preparation in high

school seemed to play a substantial role in narrowing the gap in postsecondary outcomes between

first-generation students and their peers whose parents graduated college. At the same time, results from the multivariate analysis showed that parents’ levels of education were associated with

rates of students’ retention and persistence in college, even when controlling for measures of

academic preparedness. First-generation students were less likely than their peers whose parents

had a bachelor’s degree to be enrolled at their initial institution 3 years later and to stay on the

persistence track to a bachelor’s degree.

Nevertheless, regardless of postsecondary achievement, parents’ education, and other background characteristic variables, students’ level of academic preparedness remains an important

predictor of retention and persistence in college. Students who took rigorous coursework in high

school significantly increased their chances of either being enrolled at their initial institution 3

years later or making a lateral transfer to a comparable institution and of attaining a college degree. Overall, these results indicate that providing first-generation students the opportunity to

take rigorous coursework in high school will increase their chances of succeeding in college.
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47

References

Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the Toolbox: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and

Bachelor’s Degree Attainment. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: Office

of Educational Research and Improvement.

Berkner, L.K., McCormick, A.C., and Cuccaro-Alamin, S. (1996). Descriptive Summary of

1989–90 Beginning Postsecondary Students: 5 Years Later, With an Essay on Postsecondary Persistence and Attainment (NCES 96–155). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office.

Burkam, D., Lee, V., and Smerdon, B. (1996). Mathematics Coursetaking and the NELS:88

Transcript Data. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.

Choy, S.P. (2000). Low-Income Students: Who They Are and How They Pay for Their Education

(NCES 2000–169). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Horn, L., and Nuñez, A.-M. (2000). Mapping the Road to College: First-Generation Students’

Math Track, Planning Strategies, and Context of Support (NCES 2000–153). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S.

Government Printing Office.

Levine, A., and Nidiffer, J. (1996). Beating the Odds: How the Poor Get to College. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for

Educational Reform. Washington, DC: Author.

Nuñez, A.-M., and Cuccaro-Alamin, S. (1998). First-Generation Students: Undergraduates

Whose Parents Never Enrolled in Postsecondary Education (NCES 98–082). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S.

Government Printing Office.

Riley, R.W. (1997). Mathematics Equals Opportunity. White paper prepared by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
References

48

Terenzini, P.T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P.M., Pascarella, E.T., and Nora, A. (1996). FirstGeneration Students: Characteristics, Experiences, and Cognitive Development. Research

in Higher Education, 37(1): 1–22.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000). The Condition of

Education 2000 (NCES 2000–062). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

U.S. General Accounting Office. (1994). Higher Education: Grants Effective at Increasing Minorities’ Chances of Graduating (HEHS-94-168). Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office.

U.S. General Accounting Office. (1995). Higher Education: Restructuring Student Aid Could

Reduce Low-Income Student Dropout Rate (HEHS-95-48). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
49

Appendix A—Glossary

This glossary describes the variables used in this report. The variables were taken directly from the NCES

BPS:96/98 Data Analysis Systems (DAS), which are NCES software applications that generate tables from the BPS:

98. A description of the DAS software can be found in appendix B. The variable labels below are in bold capital

letters and correspond to the names of the variables in the DAS. In the index below, the variables in the five sections

are listed in the order they appear in the report; the glossary is in alphabetical order in each section by variable name

(displayed in the right-hand column).

GLOSSARY INDEX

STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Country of origin.............................................. ORIGIN

Parents’ highest education (first-

 generation status) .........................................PBEDHI3

Age...............................................................SBAGEFM

Gender ...................................................... SBGENDER

Language spoken at home............................. SBLANG

Marital status ............................................SBMARRY1

Race/ethnicity ................................................SBRACEI

Family income as percentile rank of

 income.........................................................SFPCT294

HIGH SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

Coursetaking ................................................ CTAKING

Highest level of mathematics

 completed or planned..............................HCMATHHI

Locale of high school.................................HSLOCALE

Percentage enrollment of underrep-

 resented minority at secondary level...........HSPCMIN

Type of high school ................................... HSTYPESR

ENROLLMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Enrollment status .........................................ENIPTTB1

Number of enrollment spells 1995–98.......ENSENUB1

Institution type by Carnegie Classifi-

 cation 1994 ..............................................INCARNEG

First institution level and control ................... ITNPSAS

Employment status......................................JEHOURB1

Attainment and level of enrollment

 through 1998.............................................PRENRLB1

ACADEMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Average score on Advanced Place-

 ment exams taken............................................APAVG

Number of Advanced Placement

 exams taken ........................................... APNUMBER

Remedial courses taken 1995–96 ...............RMANYY1

Average SAT II score .................................. SAT2AVG

Grade- point average (GPA).........................SEGPAY1

Major field of study .................................... SEMAJ2B1

Derived SAT combined score.................... TESATDER

PERSISTENCE AND ATTAINMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Attainment and last year of enrollment

 through 1998............................................ PRENYRB1

First persistence track exit type...................PRFLTYB1

Persistence and attainment, first

 institution through 1998.................................. PRSIB1
Appendix A—Glossary

50

Average score on Advanced Placement exams taken APAVG

Indicates the average score on all Advanced Placement examinations taken. Score range is 1–5 points, multiplied by

100 to show finer gradations of average scores (range is 100–500). When average scores are reported, this variable is

divided by 100.

Number of Advanced Placement exams taken APNUMBER

Indicates the number of Advanced Placement tests respondent took in high school.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five or more

Coursetaking CTAKING

Ranks the rigor of courses taken by the respondent in high school. The categories include the following:

Core New Basics Student completed core New Basics curriculum: 4 years of

English and 3 years each of science, mathematics, and social

studies.

Beyond New Basics I Student completed core New Basics curriculum that included

at least two of the following three science courses—biology,

chemistry, or physics—and algebra I and geometry, plus 1

year of foreign language.

Beyond New Basics II Student completed core New Basics curriculum that included

advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and advanced mathematics (algebra I, geometry, and algebra II), plus

2 years of foreign language.

Rigorous Student completed core New Basics curriculum that included

advanced science (biology, chemistry, and physics), 4 years of

mathematics (algebra I, geometry, algebra II, pre-calculus),

plus 3 years of foreign language and one honors/Advanced

Placement course or Advanced Placement test score.

Enrollment status ENIPTTB1

Indicates the pattern of enrollment intensity during months enrolled, through June 1998.

Full time Always enrolled full time

Less than full time Always enrolled part time or had mixed enrollment pattern
Appendix A—Glossary

51

Number of enrollment spells 1995–98 ENSENUB1

Counts the periods of continuous enrollment (at any institution), each separated by more than 4 months of nonenrollment, through June 1998.

One

Two or more

Highest level of mathematics completed or planned HCMATHHI

Identifies the highest level of mathematics the respondent had completed in high school or planned to take, according

to self report on standardized test questionnaire completed during high school. The categories are the following:

Algebra

Geometry

Algebra II

Trigonometry

Pre-calculus

Calculus

Locale of high school HSLOCALE

Identifies the location of the high school attended by the respondent.

Large central city In an area with a population greater than 250,000

Mid-size central city In an area with a population of less than 250,000

Urban On the fringe of a large city or mid-size city

Large town In an area with a population greater than 25,000

Small town In an area with a population less than 25,000

Rural In a rural area

Percentage enrollment of underrepresented minority at secondary level HSPCMIN

Indicates the percentage enrollment of black, Hispanic, or American Indian/Alaskan Native students at respondent’s

high school. Responses were grouped as follows:

0–25 percent

26–50 percent

51–75 percent

76–100 percent
Appendix A—Glossary

52

Type of high school HSTYPESR

Indicates the type of high school the respondent attended.

Public Respondent attended a public high school.

Private Respondent attended Catholic, other religious, and/or nonreligious private school.

Institution type by Carnegie Classification 1994 INCARNEG

Identifies the type of institution the respondent attended by Carnegie Classification. This classification system includes all colleges and universities in the United States that are degree granting and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Research/Doctoral Universities Includes all institutions classified as Research Universities I/II

and Doctoral Universities I/II. Research Universities I/II offer

a full range of baccalaureate programs, are committed to

graduate education through the doctorate, and give high priority to research. Institutions classified as Doctoral Universities

I/II also offer a full range of baccalaureate programs and are

committed to graduate education through the doctorate.

Comprehensive Universities Includes all institutions classified as Master’s (Comprehensive) Colleges and Universities I/II. These institutions offer a

full range of baccalaureate programs and are committed to

graduate education through the master’s degree.

Baccalaureate Includes all institutions classified as Baccalaureate (Liberal

Arts) Colleges I/II. These institutions are primarily undergraduate colleges that place major emphasis on baccalaureate

degree programs.

Other Includes professional and specialized institutions offering degrees in areas such as art, music, design, religion, medicine,

other health professions, engineering and technology, business

and management, and law. In addition, degrees from theological seminaries, bible colleges, teachers’ colleges, tribal colleges and universities, military institutes, maritime academies,

and any other institutions that do not fit any other classification

category are included in this grouping.
Appendix A—Glossary

53

First institution level and control ITNPSAS

Identifies the type of postsecondary institution first attended by respondent.

Public 4-year A postsecondary education institution that is supported primarily by public funds and operated by publicly elected or appointed officials who control the programs and activities and

can award bachelor’s degrees or higher, including institutions

that award doctorate degrees and first-professional degrees.

These degrees include chiropractic, pharmacy, dentistry, podiatry, medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, law, osteopathic medicine, and theology.

Private, not-for-profit 4-year A postsecondary education institution that is controlled by an

independent governing board and incorporated under Section

501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and can award bachelor’s degrees, including institutions that award doctorate degrees and first-professional degrees. These degrees include

chiropractic, pharmacy, dentistry, podiatry, medicine, veterinary medicine, optometry, law, osteopathic medicine, and theology.

Public 2-year A postsecondary education institution that is supported primarily by public funds and operated by publicly elected or appointed officials who control the programs and activities and

that does not confer bachelor’s degrees, but does provide 2-

year programs that result in a certificate or an associate’s degree, or 2-year programs that fulfill part of the requirements

for a bachelor’s degree at 4-year institutions.

Private, for-profit A postsecondary education institution that is privately owned

and operated as a profit-making enterprise. Includes career

colleges and proprietary institutions. Level and control can be

private, for-profit 4-year; private, for-profit 2-year; or private,

for-profit less-than-2-year.

Other less-than-2-year A postsecondary education institution in which at least one of

the programs offered at the institution is 3 months or longer

and that produces a terminal award or certificate. In addition,

no program at the institution lasts longer than 2 years. The

level and control can be private, not-for-profit 2-year; public

less-than-2-year; and private, not-for-profit less-than-2-year institutions.

Employment status JEHOURB1

Indicates the number of hours worked while enrolled 1998.

Part-time Worked less than 35 hours

Full-time Worked 35 or more hours

Did not work Worked 0 hours
Appendix A—Glossary

54

Country of origin ORIGIN

Indicates the respondent’s country of birth based on citizenship status.

Native born Respondent was born in the United States.

Foreign born Respondent was not born in the United States; respondent is a

naturalized citizen, permanent resident, or nonresident alien.

Parents’ highest education (first-generation status) PBEDHI3

Indicates the highest education level attained by either parent of the respondent. In 8 percent of the cases, the data

was recoded where students’ reporting of parental occupation and educational level were obviously dissonant; for

example, where the parental occupation indicated required at least a college education.

First-generation Parent had less than a high school education or a high school

diploma.

Non-first-generation Parent had either some college or earned a bachelor’s degree

or postgraduate/professional degree (see below).

Some college Parent went to trade school, had less than two years of college,

or had two or more years of college.

Bachelor’s or advanced degree Parent earned a bachelor’s degree or postgraduate/professional

degree.

Attainment and level of enrollment through 1998 PRENRLB1

Identifies whether students had attained a degree by June 1998 and whether they were enrolled during spring 1998

by level of institution. Responses were categorized as follows:

No degree

 Not enrolled

 Enrolled

Degree

 Attained associate’s degree or certificate, not enrolled

 Attained associate’s degree or certificate, enrolled in 2- or 4-year institution

 Attained bachelor’s degree, not enrolled

 Attained bachelor’s degree, enrolled in 2- or 4-year institution
Appendix A—Glossary

55

Attainment and last year of enrollment through 1998 PRENYRB1

Identifies whether students had attained a degree by June 1998, and if not, indicates the last academic year that they

were enrolled in postsecondary education.

No degree, left without return AY95–96

No degree, left without return AY96–97

No degree, left without return AY97–98

No degree, enrolled spring 1998

Attained by spring 1998

First persistence track exit type PRFLTYB1

Identifies the type of first departure from the persistence track. Responses were categorized as follows:

Did not leave track Respondents stayed in the same 4-year institution or made a

lateral transfer to a different 4-year institution.

Left track, transfer, stopout Respondents left persistence track by making an immediate or

delayed transfer from a 4-year institution to a less than 4-year

institution, stopout, or delayed lateral/upward transfer.

Left without return Respondents left without return to postsecondary education.

Persistence and attainment, first institution through 1998 PRSIB1

Identifies the outcome of the first institutional spell. The first institutional spell is the first spell of continuous enrollment at the first institution. For those who attained a degree before the spell ended, the variable identifies the

degree attained. For those who did not attain before the spell ended, the variable distinguishes whether the student

was still enrolled at the first institution in spring 1998, experienced a stopout and returned to the NPSAS institution,

experienced a stopout and enrolled at a new institution, experienced an immediate transfer to a new institution, or left

postsecondary education without returning at the end of the spell. Responses were grouped as follows:

Still enrolled/attained at first institution includes respondents who were identified as:

 Continuous enrollment, no transfer, attained bachelor’s degree

 Continuous enrollment, no transfer, attained associate’s degree

 Continuous enrollment, no transfer, attained certificate

 No degree, continuous enrollment, enrolled at institution

 No degree, stopout, returned to first institution

Transferred includes respondents who had:

 No degree, stopout or enrollment gap, enrolled at new institution

 No degree, no stopout, enrolled at new institution

Left postsecondary education includes respondents who had:

 No degree, left without return
Appendix A—Glossary

56

Remedial courses taken 1995–96 RMANYY1

Indicates the number of remedial courses taken by respondents in 1995–96. These include courses in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills, or English language skills. The categories were defined as follows:

None

One or more

Average SAT II score SAT2AVG

Indicates the average score on all SAT II tests taken (range is 200–800). Scores were combined as follows:

Less than 450

451–550

551–650

651 or higher

Age SBAGEFM

Indicates the respondent’s age when first enrolled at 1995–96 postsecondary institution. Age was defined in the following categories:

18 years or younger

19–24 years

25–29 years

30 years or older

Gender SBGENDER

Indicates respondent’s gender.

Male

Female

Language spoken at home SBLANG

Identifies the language spoken most often at home when respondent was growing up.

English Respondent spoke mostly English growing up.

Other Respondent spoke mostly a language other than English, such

as Spanish, Arabic, Bahasa, Chinese (Mandarin), Farsi, French

and Canadian French, Gaelic, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian (Bahasa Malay), Pakistani (Punjabi),

Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Welsh, or other
Appendix A—Glossary

57

Marital status SBMARRY1

Indicates respondent’s marital status during the 1995–96 academic year.

Not married Respondent was single, never married; divorced; or widowed

Married Respondent was married.

Separated Respondent was separated.

Race/ethnicity SBRACEI

Indicates the race/ethnicity and citizenship status of respondent.

White, non-Hispanic Respondent had origins in any of the original peoples of

Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East (except those of Hispanic origin).

Black, non-Hispanic Respondent had origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa, not of Hispanic origin.

Hispanic Respondent was Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or

South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless

of race.

Asian/Pacific Islander Respondent had origins in any of the original peoples of the

Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or Pacific

Islands. This includes people from China, Japan, Korea, the

Philippine Islands, Samoa, India, and Vietnam.

American Indian/Alaskan Native Respondent had origins in any of the original peoples of North

America and who maintains cultural identification through

tribal affiliation or community recognition.

Grade- point average (GPA) SEGPAY1

Indicates the average student GPA (standardized to a 4.00 point scale) as reported by the institution.
Appendix A—Glossary

58

Major field of study SEMAJ2B1

Indicates respondent’s major field of study when last enrolled 1998. The categories are the following:

Humanities

Social/behavioral sciences

Life sciences

Physical sciences/mathematics

Computer/information science

Engineering

Education

Business/management

Health

Vocational/technical

Other technical/professional

Undeclared/no major

Family income as percentile rank of income SFPCT294

Indicates percentile rank of income for all students (i.e., the proportion of students with income lower than that of the

student). Calculated separately for dependent and independent students. Each ranking compares the student only to

those of the same dependency status. Parent’s income was used for dependent students. The categories are as follows:

Low income Income fell at or below 125 percent of the 1994 federal poverty level.

Middle income Income fell between 125 through 634 percent of the 1994 federal poverty level.

High income Income fell at or above 635 percent of the federal poverty

level.

Derived SAT combined score TESATDER

Indicates respondent’s derived SAT score as either the sum of SAT verbal and mathematics scores or the ACT composite score converted to an estimated SAT combined score. Scores are combined as follows:

Lowest quartile 400–790

Middle quartiles 800–1090

Highest quartile 1100 or above
59

Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study (BPS:96/98)

The Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study (BPS) is composed of the students who participated in the 1995–96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:96)

who enrolled in postsecondary education for the first time in 1995–96. The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a comprehensive nationwide study conducted by the U.S.

Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to determine how

students and their families pay for postsecondary education.10 It also describes demographic and

other characteristics of students enrolled. The study is based on a nationally representative sample of all students in postsecondary education institutions, including undergraduate, graduate, and

first-professional students. For NPSAS:96, information was obtained from more than 830 postsecondary institutions on approximately 44,500 undergraduate, 8,700 graduate, and 2,500 firstprofessional students. They represented about 16.7 million undergraduates, 2.4 million graduate

students, and 300,000 first-professional students who were enrolled at some time between July 1,

1995 and June 30, 1996.

The BPS sample consists of approximately 12,000 students identified in NPSAS:96 as beginning postsecondary education for the first time. Unlike other NCES longitudinal surveys (such

as High School and Beyond), which are based on age-specific cohorts, the BPS sample is more

likely to include “nontraditional” postsecondary students, such as those who have delayed their

education due to financial need or family responsibilities. The First Follow-up of the BPS cohort

(BPS:96/98) was conducted in the spring and summer of 1998, approximately 3 years after they

first enrolled. Approximately 10,300 of the students who first began in 1995–96 were located and

interviewed in the First Follow-up. The weighted effective response rate in the 1998 follow-up of

the NPSAS:96, for BPS-eligible respondents was 85.9 percent. The overall weighted response

 

10For more information on the NPSAS survey, consult U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,

Methodology Report for the 1995–96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NCES 98–073) (Washington, DC: 1997). Additional information is also available at the NPSAS website: http://nces.ed.gov/npsas.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

60

rate (including those who were nonrespondents in NPSAS:96) for the BPS:96/98 First Follow-up

was 79.8 percent.11

The BPS:96/98 Data Analysis System includes sample weights for cross-sectional analysis

of the students in 1995–96 (B98IAWT) and longitudinal analysis of the sample through 1998

(B98AWT). All of the tables and estimates in this report used the longitudinal analysis weight.

Accuracy of Estimates

The statistics in this report are estimates derived from a sample. Two broad categories of

error occur in such estimates: sampling and nonsampling errors. Sampling errors occur because

observations are made only on samples of students, not entire populations. Nonsampling errors

occur not only in sample surveys but also in censuses of entire populations. Non-sampling errors

can be attributed to a number of sources: inability to obtain complete information about all students in all institutions in the sample (some students or institutions refused to participate, or students participated but answered only certain items); ambiguous definitions; differences in

interpreting questions; inability or unwillingness to give correct information; mistakes in recording or coding data; and other errors of collecting, processing, sampling, and imputing missing

data.

Data Analysis System

The estimates presented in this report were produced using the BPS:98 Data Analysis Systems (DAS). The DAS software allows users to specify and generate tables from the BPS:98

data. With the DAS, users can replicate or expand upon the tables presented in this report. In addition to the table estimates, the DAS calculates proper standard errors12 and weighted sample

sizes for these estimates. For example, table B1 contains estimated standard errors for the estimates provided in table 15 and was generated by the DAS. If the number of valid cases is too

small to produce a reliable estimate, the DAS prints the message “low-N” instead of the estimate.

 

11For more information on the BPS:96/98 survey, consult U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study First Follow-up 1996–98, Methodology Report (NCES 2000–157)

(Washington, DC: 2000).

12The BPS:98 samples are not simple random samples, and therefore simple random sample techniques for estimating sampling

error cannot be applied to these data. The DAS takes into account the complexity of the sampling procedures and calculates standard errors appropriate for such samples. The method for computing sampling errors used by the DAS involves approximating

the estimator by the linear terms of a Taylor series expansion. The procedure is typically referred to as the Taylor series method.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

61

Table B1—Standard errors for table 15: Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary

Table B1—students according to enrollment status as of spring 1998, by academic rigor of secondary

Table B1—school curriculum and first-generation status

Stayed on Left Left

persistence track persistence track without return

 Total 0.9 0.7 0.7

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 1.8 1.5 1.3

 Beyond New Basics I 2.0 1.6 1.6

 Beyond New Basics II 2.1 1.9 1.5

 Rigorous 1.8 1.5 1.1

First-generation

 Total 1.7 1.6 1.4

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 3.3 2.9 2.7

 Beyond New Basics I 3.7 3.6 1.8

 Beyond New Basics II 4.6 4.8 2.0

 Rigorous 4.1 3.6 2.4

Parent had some college

 Total 2.3 1.9 2.0

 

Overall rigor 

 Core New Basics or below 4.1 3.4 3.6

 Beyond New Basics I 4.2 3.9 2.3

 Beyond New Basics II 4.6 4.5 2.2

 Rigorous 5.5 4.5 4.0

Parent had bachelor’s or advanced degree

 Total 1.2 0.9 1.0

Overall rigor

 Core New Basics or below 2.6 2.4 1.3

 Beyond New Basics I 3.1 1.7 3.0

 Beyond New Basics II 3.0 2.0 2.6

 Rigorous 2.0 1.6 1.3

NOTE: Students in private, for-profit 4-year institutions are excluded from this analysis because the sample size was too small

(less than 1 percent). A student who stays on the persistence track either remains at the initial 4-year institution in which they

enrolled or makes a lateral transfer to a new 4-year institution with no break in enrollment.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1995–96 Beginning Postsecondary Students

Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:96/98).
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

62

In addition to tables, the DAS can also produce a correlation matrix of selected variables to

be used for linear regression models. Included in the output with the correlation matrix are the

design effects (DEFTs) for each variable in the matrix. Since statistical procedures generally

compute regression coefficients based on simple random sample assumptions, the standard errors

must be adjusted with the design effects to take into account the BPS:98 sample design.

The DAS can be accessed electronically at http://nces.ed.gov/DAS. For more information

about BPS:98 Data Analysis System, contact:

Aurora D’Amico

National Center for Education Statistics

1990 K Street, NW

Room 8115

Washington, DC 20006

(202) 502-7334

Internet address: Aurora_D’Amico@ed.gov

Statistical Procedures

Differences Between Means

The descriptive comparisons were tested in this report using Student’s t statistic. Differences between estimates are tested against the probability of a Type I error,13 or significance

level. The significance levels were determined by calculating the Student’s t values for the differences between each pair of means or proportions and comparing these with published tables of

significance levels for two-tailed hypothesis testing.

Student’s t values may be computed to test the difference between estimates with the following formula:

2

2

2

1

1 2

se se

E E

t

+

− = (1)

where E1 and E2 are the estimates to be compared and se1 and se2 are their corresponding standard errors. This formula is valid only for independent estimates. When estimates are not independent, a covariance term must be added to the formula:

 

13A Type I error occurs when one concludes that a difference observed in a sample reflects a true difference in the population

from which the sample was drawn, when no such difference is present.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

63

1 2

2

2

2

1

1 2

se se 2(r)se se

E E

+ −

− (2)

where r is the correlation between the two estimates.14 This formula is used when comparing two

percentages from a distribution that adds to 100. If the comparison is between the mean of a subgroup and the mean of the total group, the following formula is used:

E E

se se p se

sub tot

sub tot sub

−

+ − 22 2 2 

(3)

where p is the proportion of the total group contained in the subgroup.15 The estimates, standard

errors, and correlations can all be obtained from the DAS.

There are hazards in reporting statistical tests for each comparison. First, comparisons

based on large t statistics may appear to merit special attention. This can be misleading since the

magnitude of the t statistic is related not only to the observed differences in means or percentages

but also to the number of students in the specific categories used for comparison. Hence, a small

difference compared across a large number of students would produce a large t statistic.

A second hazard in reporting statistical tests for each comparison occurs when making

multiple comparisons among categories of an independent variable. For example, when making

paired comparisons among different levels of income, the probability of a Type I error for these

comparisons taken as a group is larger than the probability for a single comparison. When more

than one difference between groups of related characteristics or “families” are tested for statistical significance, one must apply a standard that assures a level of significance for all of those

comparisons taken together.

Comparisons were made in this report only when p< .05/k for a particular pairwise comparison, where that comparison was one of k tests within a family. This guarantees both that the

individual comparison would have p< .05 and that for k comparisons within a family of possible

comparisons, the significance level for all the comparisons will sum to p< .05.16 For example,

when comparing the percentages of males and females who enrolled in postsecondary education,

only one comparison is possible (males versus females). In this family, k=1, and the comparison

 

14U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, A Note from the Chief Statistician, no. 2, 1993.

15Ibid.

16The standard that p≤ .05/k for each comparison is more stringent than the criterion that the significance level of the comparisons should sum to p≤ .05. For tables showing the t statistic required to ensure that p≤ .05/k for a particular family size and degrees of freedom, see Olive Jean Dunn, “Multiple Comparisons Among Means,” Journal of the American Statistical Association

56 (1961): 52–64.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

64

can be evaluated without adjusting the significance level. When students are divided into five

racial/ethnic groups and all possible comparisons are made, then k=10 and the significance level

of each test must be p< .05/10, or p< .005. The formula for calculating family size (k) is as follows:

k j j = ( ) −1

2 (4)

where j is the number of categories for the variable being tested. In the case of race/ethnicity,

there are five racial/ethnic groups (American Indian/Alaskan Native; Asian/Pacific Islander;

black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; and white, non-Hispanic), so substituting 5 for j in equation 4,

k = 5(5 -1)

2

=10

Linear Trends

While most descriptive comparisons in this report were tested using Student’s t statistic,

some comparisons among categories of an ordered variable with three or more levels involved a

test for a linear trend across all categories, rather than a series of tests between pairs of categories. In this report, when differences among percentages were examined relative to a variable

with ordered categories, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test for a linear relationship

between the two variables. To do this, ANOVA models included orthogonal linear contrasts corresponding to successive levels of the independent variable. The squares of the Taylorized standard errors (that is, standard errors that were calculated by the Taylor series method), the

variance between the means, and the unweighted sample sizes were used to partition total sum of

squares into within- and between-group sums of squares. These were used to create mean squares

for the within- and between-group variance components and their corresponding F statistics,

which were then compared with published values of F for a significance level of .05.17 Significant values of both the overall F and the F associated with the linear contrast term were required

as evidence of a linear relationship between the two variables. Means and Taylorized standard

errors were calculated by the DAS. Unweighted sample sizes are not available from the DAS and

were provided by NCES.

 

17More information about ANOVA and significance testing using the F statistic can be found in any standard textbook on statistical methods in the social and behavioral sciences.
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

65

Adjustment of Means to Control for Background Variation

Crosstabular analyses identify important relationships; however, many variables used in

crosstabular analyses may be correlated. For example, family income is related to socioeconomic

status, which in turn is related to parental education levels. Hence, finding differences among

family income groups, differences among socioeconomic status quartile groups, and differences

among groups based on parental education levels are not unique findings. To identify the underlying effects for all three correlated variables, multivariate analyses describe the extent of differences in family income groups after adjustments for the relationships with socioeconomic status

and parental education.

Multiple linear regression was used to obtain means that were adjusted for covariation

among a list of control variables.18 Adjusted means for subgroups were obtained by regressing

the dependent variable on a set of descriptive variables such as gender, age, employment status,

overall rigor of high school coursework, first-generation status, number of remedial courses taken

in postsecondary education, and so on. Substituting ones or zeros for the subgroup characteristic(s) of interest and the mean proportions for the other variables results in an estimate of the adjusted proportion for the specified subgroup, holding the other variables in the equation constant.

For example, consider a hypothetical case in which two variables, age and gender, are used to

describe an outcome, Y (such as the percentage of students who left their initial institution). The

variables age and gender are recoded into a dummy variable representing age, A, and a dummy

variable representing gender, G:

Age A

 24 years or older 1

 Less than 24 years old 0

and

Gender G

 Female 1

 Male 0

The following regression equation is then estimated from the correlation matrix output from the

DAS:

ˆ

Y = a + b1A+ b2G (5)

 

18For more information about weighted least squares regression, see Michael S. Lewis-Beck, Applied Regression: An Introduction, Vol. 22 (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 1980); William D. Berry and Stanley Feldman, Multiple Regression in

Practice, Vol. 50 (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc., 1987).
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

66

To estimate the adjusted mean for any subgroup evaluated at the mean of all other variables, one substitutes the appropriate values for that subgroup’s dummy variables (1 or 0) and the

mean for the dummy variable(s) representing all other subgroups. For example, suppose Y represents leaving the initial institution and is being described by age (A) and gender (G), coded as

shown above. The unadjusted mean values of these two variables are as follows:

Variable Mean

A 0.355

G 0.521

Next, suppose the regression equation results are as follows:

ˆ

Y = 0.15 + 0.17A + 0.01G (6)

To estimate the adjusted value for older students, one substitutes the appropriate parameter

estimates and variable values into equation 6.

Variable Parameter Value

a 0.15 —

A 0.17 1.000

G 0.01 0.521

This results in the following equation:

ˆ

Y = 0.15 +(0.17)(1) + (0.01)(0.521) = 0.325

In this case, the adjusted mean for older students is 0.325 and represents the expected outcome for older students who resemble the average student across the other variables (in this example, gender). In other words, the adjusted percentage who left the initial institution after

controlling for age and gender, is 32.5 percent (0.325 x 100 for conversion to a percentage).

It is relatively straightforward to produce a multivariate model using the DAS, since one of

the DAS output options is a correlation matrix, computed using pairwise missing values. In regression analysis, there are several common approaches to the problem of missing data. The two

simplest are pairwise deletion of missing data and listwise deletion of missing data. In pairwise

deletion, each correlation is calculated using all of the cases for the two relevant variables. For

example, suppose you have a regression analysis that uses variables X1, X2, and X3. The regression is based on the correlation matrix between X1, X2, and X3. In pairwise deletion the correlation between X1 and X2 is based on the nonmissing cases for X1 and X2. Cases missing on
Appendix B—Technical Notes and Methodology

67

either X1 or X2 would be excluded from the calculation of the correlation. In listwise deletion

the correlation between X1 and X2 would be based on the nonmissing values for X1, X2, and

X3. That is, all of the cases with missing data on any of the three variables would be excluded

from the analysis.19

The correlation matrix can be used by most statistical software packages as the input data

for least squares regression. That is the approach used for this report, with an additional adjustment to incorporate the complex sample design into the statistical significance tests of the parameter estimates (described below). For tabular presentation, parameter estimates and standard

errors were multiplied by 100 to match the scale used for reporting unadjusted and adjusted percentages.

Most statistical software packages assume simple random sampling when computing standard errors of parameter estimates. Because of the complex sampling design used for the NPSAS

survey, this assumption is incorrect. A better approximation of their standard errors is to multiply

each standard error by the design effect associated with the dependent variable (DEFT),20 where

the DEFT is the ratio of the true standard error to the standard error computed under the assumption of simple random sampling. It is calculated by the DAS and produced with the correlation

matrix.

 

19Although the DAS simplifies the process of making regression models, it also limits the range of models. Analysts who wish to

estimate probit/logit models (which are the most appropriate for models with categorical dependent variables) can apply for a

restricted data license from NCES. See John H. Aldrich and Forrest D. Nelson, Linear Probability, Logit and Probit Models

(Quantitative Applications in Social Sciences, Vol. 45) (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1984).

20The adjustment procedure and its limitations are described in C.J. Skinner, D. Holt, and T.M.F. Smith, eds., Analysis of Complex Surveys (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1989).