DOI: 10.3886/icpsr06961.v1
title: National Education Longitudinal Study: Base Year through Third Follow-up, 1988-1994
title: Version 1

description: This data collection presents base year through third
 follow-up data for the National Education Longitudinal Study (see
 NATIONAL EDUCATION LONGITUDINAL STUDY, 1988 [ICPSR 9389], FIRST
 FOLLOW-UP, 1990 [ICPSR 9859], and SECOND FOLLOW-UP, 1992 [ICPSR
 6448]). In addition, these data sustain continuing trend comparisons
 with NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE CLASS OF 1972 (ICPSR 8085) and
 HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND, 1980 (ICPSR 7896, 8297, 8443, 8896).
 NELS:88/94 collected information on postsecondary education
 participation, employment, earnings, family formation, and other
 activities and experiences relevant to individuals about to enter
 their adult lives. The collection contains information that represents
 several nationally representative samples, including eighth graders in
 1988, tenth graders in 1990, and twelfth graders in 1992 enrolled in
 public or private schools. By the time of the third follow-up study in
 1994, most NELS:88 sample members had completed four years of high
 school, while some had dropped out of high school or had attended
 alternative programs to obtain their diplomas. Part 1, Student-Level
 Data, includes universe variables, base-year, first follow-up, and
 second follow-up student components, school variables at the student
 level, second follow-up early graduate supplement and student-level
 transcript variables, first follow-up and second follow-up dropout
 components, base-year and second follow-up parent components, and
 third follow-up questionnaire and derived variables. Part 2,
 Postsecondary Education Attendance Data, provides information for
 third follow-up respondents on attendance at postsecondary
 institutions, including enrollment dates and major fields of
 study. Part 3, Postsecondary Institution Data, supplies information
 about institutions applied to or attended by third follow-up
respondents regarding sector, tuition/fee deciles, and enrollment.
description: The base-year survey in 1988 was a clustered, stratified
 national probability sample of 1,052 public and private eighth-grade
 schools with almost 25,000 students across the United States
 participating. For the first follow-up in 1990, 21,000 students were
 sampled and an additional parent survey was added. The second
 follow-up in 1992 also included a school records component. In each
 survey, multiple respondent populations were surveyed: students
 (including dropouts), their teachers, their parents, and their school
 administrators. In both the 1990 and 1992 follow-ups, a freshened
 sample was included to achieve a representative sample of the
respective age group in the nation.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Student-Level Data
DS2: Postsecondary Education Attendance Data
DS3: Postsecondary Institution Data
DS4: Codebook for Student Level Data, Volume 1
DS5: Codebook for Student Level Data, Volume 2
description: All eligible United States eighth graders in spring 1988,
 tenth graders in the 1989-1990 school year, twelfth-grade students
 during 1991-1992, and students who in 1994 were two years out of high
school.
description: The codebooks and supplemental documentation are
 provided as Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The PDF file format
 was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using
 PDF reader software, such as
 the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the
Acrobat Reader is provided through the ICPSR Website on the Internet.