2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06) Methodology Report

This report describes and evaluates the methods and procedures used in the 2004/06 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06), the first follow-up of the cohort of first-time beginning students who were identified as part of the 2003–04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04). This cohort was first interviewed in 2004 and identified as first-time beginners (FTBs). An FTB was defined as an individual who began his or her postsecondary education during the 2003–04 academic year. BPS:04/06 is the first of two scheduled follow-up studies that will follow these students through college and into the workforce. The second, and final, follow-up is scheduled to take place in 2009. The BPS study is unique in that it includes both traditional and nontraditional students, follows their paths through postsecondary education over the course of 6 years, and is not limited to enrollment at a single institution.

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