ABSTRACT
Data in the postsecondary series (BPS and B&B) were designed to complement the high school cohort longitudinal studies and to improve data on participants in postsecondary education. Data for these studies were obtained primarily from students, with supportive and corroborative information obtained from student records. The BPS survey was designed to enhance and expand the scope of information available regarding persistence, progress, and attainment from initial time of entry into postsecondary education through leaving and entering the work force. By starting with a cohort that had already entered postsecondary education, BPS could address issues of persistence, progress, and attainment, as well as issues related to transitions between undergraduate and graduate education and transitions between PSE and work. By following aPSE cohort (rather than a single age elementary or secondary school cohort), BPS could determine the extent, if any, students who start PSE later differ in their progress, persistence, and attainment. Because students who delay entry into PSE have different experiences prior to entry than students who enter immediately after high school, their transitions between levels of education and work may also be different. The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B), the second in the postsecondary series, provides information concerning education and work experiences after completing the bachelor's degree. B&B provides information on entry into, persistence and progress through, and completion of graduate-level education information not available through follow-ups involving high school cohorts or even college entry cohorts, both of which are restricted in the number who actually complete the bachelor's degree and continue their education.
