Post-secondary Plans and Financial Aid 1999 Graduates Research and Evaluation Branch October 1999 Post-secondary Plans and Financial Aid 1999 Graduates Prepared by Kristin K. Medhurst Research and Evaluation Branch Department of Defense Education Activity October 1999 Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures...........................................................................................................ii Plans After Graduation ............................................................................................................... 1 National Merit Scholars.............................................................................................................. 5 Scholarships and Financial Aid................................................................................................... 5 Colleges and Universities ......................................................................................................... 11 Limitations of the Study............................................................................................................ 19 Summary.................................................................................................................................. 19 Bibliography............................................................................................................................. 21 Appendix A .............................................................................................................................. 23 Appendix B .............................................................................................................................. 29 Appendix C .............................................................................................................................. 33 Appendix D .............................................................................................................................. 41 i List of Tables and Figures Table 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Table 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Table 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Table 4 ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Table 5 ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 6 ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 2 ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 3 ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Figure 4 ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Table 7 ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Table 8 ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Table 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 10 ................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 11 ................................................................................................................................... 11 ii Post-secondary Plans and Financial Aid 1999 Graduates A Synthesis Prepared by Kristin K. Medhurst DoDEA Research and Evaluation Branch At the end of SY 1998-99, each high school in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) and the Domestic Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) was asked to complete a report indicating students’ plans after graduation for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Headquarters. Entitled, “Post-secondary Plans and Financial Aid, 1999 Graduates” this summary provides Headquarters with an indication of graduating seniors’ plans after graduation. It also includes information about the colleges and universities to which DoDEA students have been accepted and the number and amounts of scholarships these students have earned. The findings in this report are a synthesis of the information provided by the schools through their summary reports. The report will show the numbers of students choosing post-secondary education (either a 4-year, 2-year or vocational college/university), the monies awarded to many of these students, and the colleges and universities they have chosen to attend. The graduates of 1999 have chosen almost 700 different colleges/universities to attend, including Ivy League schools and the Military Academies as well as many other high ranking colleges and universities. Many of these students have been awarded scholarship and financial aid monies to attend these prestigious institutions. Almost $30 million has been awarded to these graduates. For the first time, the schools were asked to report the number of National Merit Scholars they had. This graduating class can boast of 12 scholars. Throughout this report, data will be disaggregated by the two systems within DoDEA, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) and the Defense Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS). Within DoDDS, there are two Areas, DoDDS-Europe and DoDDS-Pacific; data for these two areas will be broken out as well. Numbers of students less than 5 will not be reported to protect the privacy of individual students. Where applicable, this report will also provide the data from the past three years, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Plans After Graduation Graduates of DoDEA schools have many plans after graduation. The majority of graduates plan to enroll in a college or university which is not unlike other graduates across the United States. In a recent study conducted by the Shell Oil Company, a survey of 1,000 randomly selected high school students across the United States were surveyed about their life as a teen-ager. This study revealed that 62% of the students surveyed reported that they were “totally sure” of continuing their education immediately after high school. Within that 62%, “a significant majority reported that they will attend a four-year institution.” (Shell Oil Company, 1999, p.3). In another study conducted by the National Library of Education, a department within the Department of Education, it was reported that the percentage of college graduates who intended to enroll in a four-year college/university was 54% in 1992. This was an increase of over 60% since 1972. For those students who report their intention to enroll in a 4-year, 2-year or vocational school, the percentage was 73% in 1992 (Boesel, David, 1999, p. 5). In yet another study conducted by the Department of Education National Education Statistics Division, the percentage of high school graduates who were enrolled in college the October following their graduation has grown steadily since 1972. According to this report, 67% of the high school graduates in 1997 were enrolled in college the October following graduation. In 1972 this number was 49% (U.S. Department of Education, 1999). In comparison with the numbers shown in these national studies of high school graduates’ intentions to pursue their education, it is apparent that DoDEA students exceed the national percentage of students intending to enroll in college following their high school graduation. Of the 2,951 students reported to have graduated from DoDEA schools in 1999, 2,259 graduates (76%) intend to enroll in post- secondary education, either a 4-year, 2-year or vocational college/university. Within this graduating class, 1,691 students report their intention to enroll in a four-year college or university; this accounts for over half of the graduating class. Those graduates not intending to enroll in a college/university will continue on to either a job, to enlist in the military or go into an apprenticeship position. Some graduates had not decided what they will do after graduation when these data were collected. Table 1 shows the plans of all DoDEA graduates for three graduating classes, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Note that the total number of graduates has decreased from 1997 to 1999 due to decreased enrollment or closing of schools associated with the military draw down. However, it is clear that the percentage of students choosing each option remains stable across the three-year period. Table 1 Post-secondary Plans of DoDEA Graduates for 1997, 1998, and 1999 Percentage of Graduates Choosing Each Option Post-secondary Plans 1997 1998 1999 N=3,117 N=3,058 N=2,951 4-year College/University 59% 62% 57% 2-year College/University 14% 15% 17% Vocational School 3% 2% 2% Job 10% 9% 9% Military 9% 9% 10% Apprenticeship <1% <1% <1% Undecided 5% 7% 6% 2 The