Crossing the Finish Line : Completing College at America's Public Universities / William G. Bowen, Michael S. McPherson, Matthew M. Chingos.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bowen, William G., author.

Chingos, Matthew M., author.

McPherson, Michael S., author.

Series:

The William G. Bowen Series ; 52

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Educational equalization--United States.

Educational equalization.

Educational attainment--United States.

Educational attainment.

Public universities and colleges--United States.

Public universities and colleges.

Minority college graduates--United States.

Minority college graduates.

College graduates--United States--Social conditions.

College graduates.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (415 p.)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2009]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The United States has long been a model for accessible, affordable education, as exemplified by the country's public universities. And yet less than 60 percent of the students entering American universities today are graduating. Why is this happening, and what can be done? Crossing the Finish Line provides the most detailed exploration ever of college completion at America's public universities. This groundbreaking book sheds light on such serious issues as dropout rates linked to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Probing graduation rates at twenty-one flagship public universities and four statewide systems of public higher education, the authors focus on the progress of students in the entering class of 1999--from entry to graduation, transfer, or withdrawal. They examine the effects of parental education, family income, race and gender, high school grades, test scores, financial aid, and characteristics of universities attended (especially their selectivity). The conclusions are compelling: minority students and students from poor families have markedly lower graduation rates--and take longer to earn degrees--even when other variables are taken into account. Noting the strong performance of transfer students and the effects of financial constraints on student retention, the authors call for improved transfer and financial aid policies, and suggest ways of improving the sorting processes that match students to institutions. An outstanding combination of evidence and analysis, Crossing the Finish Line should be read by everyone who cares about the nation's higher education system.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1. Educational Attainment: Overall Trends, Disparities, and the Public Universities We Study

Chapter 2. Bachelor's Degree Attainment on a National Level

Chapter 3. Finishing College at Public Universities

Chapter 4. Fields of Study, Time-to-Degree, and College Grades

Chapter 5. High Schools and "Undermatching"

Chapter 6. Test Scores and High School Grades as Predictors

Chapter 7. Transfer Students and the Path from Two-Year to Four-Year Colleges

Chapter 8. Financial Aid and Pricing on a National Level

Chapter 9. Financial Aid at Public Universities

Chapter 10. Institutional Selectivity and Institutional Effects

Chapter 11. Target Populations

Chapter 12. Looking Ahead

Appendix A. The Modern Evolution of America's Flagship Universities / Tobin, Eugene M.

Notes

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Appendix Tables

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [357]-375) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9786612458507

9781400831463

1400831466

9781282458505

1282458507

OCLC:

530103215