Social Background, Academic Resources, and College Graduation: Recent Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey

Abstract

Using the 1979 follow-up wave of the National Longitudinal Survey data, this paper examines rates of completion of a baccalaureate degree according to two categories of individual characteristics: social background factors (specifically, race, gender, and socioeconomic status) and academic resources at the time of secondary school graduation (specifically, scores on a standardized academic test, class rank, and curriculum). The paper first describes degree-completion rates for different race, gender, and socioeconomic groups, then proceeds to a more analytic stage using the academic characteristics and background variables jointly in a logistic regression. The results indicate essentially no differences in rates of degree completion because of gender, modest differentials between blacks and whites (generally showing blacks to have higher completion rates), and substantial differences by SES. The academic characteristics, however, are by far the strongest predictors of degree completion. Moreover, when the academic characteristics are included in the analysis, the effect of SES is somewhat reduced, whereas that of race is enlarged. The concluding section indicates some limitations and implications of these findings.