Conclusion (Cont'd)
The number of courses typically completed by public high school graduates has increased substantially. As a result of the increased academic course load, the proportion of students completing the recommendations of the National Commission on Excellence in Education (4 years of English, and 3 years each in social studies, science, and mathematics) rose from 14 percent in 1982 to 50 percent in 1994.
Figure 10.--Bachelor's degree completion rates for students who entered 4-year colleges directly from on-time high school graduation in 1982, by high school mathematics course-taking and race: 1993
*Academic curriculum refers to a constructed variable consisting of a measure of academic intensity and quality.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Answers in the Tool Box, 1999.
Students who completed a high-level mathematics course (beyond algebra II) and who ranked in the top 40 percent of academic curriculum* have a higher college completion rate than other students who also completed high school on time and directly entered a 4-year college. In particular, black and Hispanic students who had high school curriculums of rigorous intensity and high quality and completed a high-level math course were more likely to complete a bachelor's degree program than their peers who pursued a less rigorous curriculum. For example, 45 percent of all black students who finished high school on time and went directly to college graduated with a bachelor's degree. However, this percentage was 73 percent for those black students who completed a high-level mathematics course and a rigorous curriculum.
Figure 11.--Number of students who took Advanced Placement (AP) examinations per 1,000 12th-graders, by gender: 1984 to 1996
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education, 1998.
Between 1984 and 1996, the number of students who took AP exams increased markedly, rising from 50 to 131 per 1,000 12th-graders. While the number increased for both males and females, the number of females who took examinations rose at a faster rate than did the number of males who took examinations. In 1996, 144 females compared to 117 males per 1,000 12th-graders took AP examinations.
Most institutions of higher education will give students credit for an AP examination score of three or higher. In 1996, 63 percent of the AP examinations taken received a score of 3 or higher.
Figure 12.--Percentage of college students who are women, by level: 1969 to 1999
NOTE: Data for 1998 and 1999 are projections SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 1998; and Projections of Education Statistics to 2009.
The proportion of women enrolled in higher education has increased steadily over the past 30 years. In 1969, there were 3.3 million women in colleges representing about 41 percent of total college enrollment. By 1999, the total number of women had increased to an estimated 8.5 million, and they made up 57 percent of total college enrollment.
The numbers of women enrolling have increased at all levels of higher education. At the undergraduate level, the number of women rose by 156 percent between 1969 and 1999, from 2.9 million to 7.4 million. In contrast, the total number of men enrolled rose from 4.0 million in 1969 to 5.5 million in 1999, a 37 percent increase.
The growth in the enrollment of women at the graduate level has reflected the large increases at the undergraduate level. The enrollment of women in graduate programs rose by 178 percent between 1969 and 1999, and in 1997, women made up 57 percent of all graduate students. A greater number of women attend graduate school part-time. In 1999, about 66 percent of female graduate school students attend part-time compared to 58 percent of male graduate school students.
The greatest change occurred in the number of women attending first-professional programs such as those at medical, dental, and law schools. The total number of women enrolled in first-professional programs rose from 16,000 in 1969 to 122,000 in 1999. As a result of this large increase in the enrollment of women, the proportion of women among first-professional students rose from 10 percent in 1969 to 44 percent in 1999.
Figure 13.--Percentage of degrees awarded to women, by level of degree: 1969-70 to 1999-2000
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 1998; and Projections of Education Statistics to 2009.
The proportion of women in undergraduate and graduate programs increased steadily during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. This enrollment growth has been reflected by increasing numbers and proportions of women earning associate, bachelor's, master's, doctor's, and first-professional degrees. In 1969-70, women received 43 percent of bachelor's degrees and 40 percent of all master's degrees. Women now comprise the majority of college degree recipients. For the class of 2000, it is expected that women will receive about 56 percent of all bachelor's degrees and 58 percent of all master's degrees. The proportion of women among recipients of first-professional degrees, including degrees in law, medicine, and dentistry, has risen from 5 percent in 1969-70 to a projected 43 percent in 1999-2000.
Figure 14.--Percentage distribution of full-time undergraduates at all 4-year institutions, by amount of tuition and fees charged: 1999-2000
SOURCE: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing, 1999.
More than half of the students attending four-year institutions pay less than $4,000 in tuition and fees, and almost three-quarters pay less than $8,000. Only 8 percent of students attend colleges at which tuition and fees exceed $20,000.
The average charges, including room and board, for a public 4-year institution are $8,086 in 1999-2000. The same charges for a private institution are $21,339. These charges reflect a less than 5 percent increase in tuition, fees, room and board over the previous year ($7,769 for public 4-year institutions; $20,463 for private 4-year institutions).
Figure 15.--Average tuition, fees, room and board costs, by control of institution: 1998
* Room and board cost is estimated.
NOTE: Average aid includes grant and loan aid.
SOURCE: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing, 1999.
The average cost in tuition, fees, room and board at 4-year public institutions in 1998 was $7,769. At private 2-year and 4-year institutions, the average was $11,313 and $21,339, respectively.
The average cost for tuition and fees only at 2-year public institutions of higher education was $1,554; for a 2-year private school, it was $6,940. The average cost at 4-year public institutions was $3,247, while it was $14,709 at private 4-year institutions.
Figure 16.--Average federal aid per full-time equivalent student, by type of aid: 1980-81 to 1998-99
(in constant 1998-99 dollars)
SOURCE: The College Board, Trends in College Pricing, 1999.
In the 1990s, average aid per full-time equivalent student has increased from $3,614 in 1990 to $6,085 in 1999, a 68 percent increase. In 1998-99, the total amount of aid topped $64 billion, translating into more than $6,000 on average per full-time equivalent student. Over the six-year period from 1992-93 to 1998-99, the average loan aid almost doubled, from $1,793 to $3,535. Grant aid increased during this period by more than 25 percent, from $1,949 to $2,455.
Figure 17.--Average annual earnings for 25- to 34-year-olds, by highest educational degree attained: 1998
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 1999.
People with college degrees earn more money than those with high school diplomas or the equivalent. The average annual earnings for those 25- to 34-years of age increase as the level of education increases. In 1998, those with a bachelor's degree earned over $14,000 more than high school graduates, on average. Individuals with either a first-professional or a doctorate degree earned more than twice the amount of those with a high school diploma or the equivalent. People without a high school diploma or GED earned, on average, less than $16,000 in 1998.
Figure 18.--Mean annual income of workers 25 to 34 years old, by gender and educational attainment: 1974 to 1998
(in constant 1998 dollars)
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Surveys, various years.
Workers who have completed a bachelor's degree generally earn more money than workers with a high school diploma. In 1998, the average annual income for 25- to 34-year-olds with a high school diploma or equivalent credential was $22,624, while the average for persons with a bachelor's degree was $36,720, a difference of over $14,000 or about 62 percent.
There is a large differential between the earnings of male and female 25- to 34-year-olds. During the 1970s and early 1980s, males with high school diplomas had higher average earnings than females with bachelor's degrees. On average, males with bachelor's degrees earned more than females with bachelor's degrees during the entire period from 1974 to 1998. In 1998, it was more than a $13,000 difference. Although the difference between the earnings of males and females decreased during most of the period, the rate of increase for males has been higher than that of females in the past few years. Over the past four years, the average annual income for males with a bachelor's degrees rose 15 percent to $43,447 in 1998, while the average income for females with a bachelor's degree rose 7 percent to $30,026.
The earnings of female 25- to 34-year-olds, who have completed only high school, have not increased as rapidly as earnings for females with higher levels of education. The earnings of women with high school credentials rose from $14,107 in 1974 to $16,538 in 1998, an increase of 17 percent, compared to the increase of 46 percent for women with bachelor's degrees. The gap in the earnings between females and males with only high school credentials narrowed somewhat between 1974 and 1998 because the average annual earnings for males with a high school diploma or equivalent dropped 17 percent from $33,077 to $27,333.
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 Conclusion [Part 1] |
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 Additional Information about U.S. Colleges--Web Sites |