Twelfth-graders in 1992 were more likely than their counterparts in 1972 and 1982 to enroll in postsecondary education and, if they did, to earn at least a bachelor's degree by their mid-twenties.

An increasing proportion of 12th-graders are continuing on to postsecondary education. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of the class of 1992 enrolled in a postsecondary institution within 8.5 years of high school, compared with 59 percent of the class of 1982 and 55 percent of the class of 1972. The participation rates of females and Whites were higher in 1992 than in 1982, and higher in 1982 than in 1972; the participation rates of Asians, Blacks, and Hispanics were also higher in 1992 than in 1982, but no difference was observed between their 1982 and 1972 rates (see table 22-1).

Among those who earned more than 10 postsecondary credits (i.e., did not simply take a course or two and leave postsecondary education), the proportion earning a bachelor’s degree has increased: 50 percent of the class of 1992 earned at least a bachelor’s degree within 8.5 years of high school, compared with 43 percent of the class of 1982 and 46 percent of the class of 1972. This increased attainment may mean that more students have bachelor’s degree goals, those with such goals are more successful, or both.

Another measure of postsecondary success considers only students who earned more than 10 credits and any credits at a 4-year institution (Adelman 2004), thus signifying an intent to earn a bachelor’s degree. Among these students, 67 percent of the high school class of 1992 earned at least a bachelor’s degree within 8.5 years, compared with about 62 percent of the earlier classes. No difference was detected in the bachelor’s degree attainment rate for males across the three cohorts (62–63 percent), while the attainment rate for females increased from 61–62 percent for the earlier classes to 71 percent for the class of 1992. The attainment rate for Blacks first declined (from 46 percent for the class of 1972 to 38 percent for the class of 1982), before increasing to 56 percent for the class of 1992. In each cohort, attainment rates for Blacks and Hispanics were lower than those for Whites.

The average amount of time students took to complete a bachelor’s degree was longer for each successive cohort, but the differences represented less than a full term. Males have consistently taken longer to finish a bachelor’s degree than females, and Hispanics have taken longer than Whites.