The codebook for the Postsecondary Education Transcript File of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), which is a machine-readable data file containing information on transcripts from NLS-72 senior cohort members who reported attending a postsecondary institution after high school, is presented. Records were obtained from all types of educational institutions and programs. A total of 19,033 transcripts reflecting the educational activities of 14,759 sample members are included. Information includes: (1) major and minor fields of study; (2) periods of enrollment; (3) courses taken; (4) credits earned; and (5) grades received and credentials earned at 2-year and 4-year institutions. Data are organized at the student, transcript, term, and course levels. This user's manual documents the procedures used to collect this information and provides researchers with the technical information necessary to use the public release data files. Data editing procedures are discussed, and the organization and content of the files are described. Procedures used to construct sampling weights for use in computing population estimates are reviewed. Lists of the endorsing institutions, postsecondary school codes in numerical order, postsecondary school codes in alphabetical order, and course subject codes in numerical order are provided. The data file record layout and frequency distributions are tabulated.
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