A student’s undergraduate experiences have a significant effect on the likelihood of that that student enrolling, persisting and attaining a graduate degree according to a new National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, The Path Through Graduate School: A Longitudinal Examination 10 Years After Bachelor’s Degree.

High achievement, age of a student at bachelor’s degree completion, and the undergraduate major were all found to have significant corollary relationships that could be used to predict the likelihood that a student would pursue and finish a graduate degree. A student’s race and ethnicity, age, and parents’ education level were also found to have a significant relationship with graduate school enrollment.

Hispanic students took longer than Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and White students to finish a master’s degree, older students took longer than younger students, and students whose parents had only a high school education were more likely to take five years or longer to complete a master’s degree than those whose parents had a graduate degree.

According to the report, 40 percent of students who received bachelor’s degrees in the 1992-93 academic year had enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program within 10 years.

Of those who persisted, 62 percent obtained a master’s degree, 13 percent completed a professional degree program, and 11 percent obtained a doctorate.

The amount of time students waited before enrolling in graduate studies differed by graduate program. MBA students usually waited about 4 years after finishing undergraduate coursework before enrolling in graduate school whereas doctoratal students tended to enter graduate school within one year of obtaining their bachelor’s degree.

The study also found that almost a quarter of students who enrolled in graduate school left without completing a graduate degree. Students enrolled in professional programs saw higher completion rates than students in master’s degree programs. The length of time spent in graduate studies also varied by program, with master’s students taking an average of three years to complete their degree, professional students taking four years, and doctoral students taking six years. Whether a student is enrolled part time or full time also appeared to have a relationship with likelihood of completion.

The entire NCES report is available on the NCES Web site.

By Justin Draeger
NASFAA Assistant Director for Communications

Posted 03/07/07 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.