Academic and Nonacademic Influences on the College Destinations of 1980 High School Graduates

Social scientists and policymakers have long been interested in equality of opportunity to pursue postsecondary education. This research focused on one aspect of that issue, the relationships between high school graduates' personal characteristics (ability, achievements, expectations, socioeconomic status, raceethnicity, and gender) and the nature of the postsecondary institutions they attend. Based on national data for college attenders from the high school class of 1980, the findings suggest that nonacademic factors, particularly socioeconomic background, affected graduates' postsecondary destinations. For example, students from lower-income families were particularly likely to attend lowerselectivity institutions, regardless of their levels of academic ability, achievement, and expectations. The possible reasons for the persistence of such inequalities, despite policy efforts to limit or remove them, are discussed.