2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/25) Full-Scale Study

The 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Full-Scale Study (BPS:20/25) is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the Institute of Education Sciences, within the Department of Education, and is part of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study data collection program at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/. BPS is designed to follow a cohort of students who enroll in postsecondary education for the first time during the same academic year, irrespective of the date of high school completion. The study collects data on students' persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs; their transition to employment; demographic characteristics; and changes over time in their goals, marital status, income, and debt, among other indicators. Data from BPS are used to help researchers and policymakers better understand how financial aid influences persistence and completion, what percentages of students complete various degree programs, what are the early employment and wage outcomes for certificate and degree attainers, and why students leave school. The BPS:20/25 field test was completed during the 2023-24 academic year and was designed to test items and procedures for the upcoming full-scale study (see Appendix D of this submission with results of the two experiments embedded in the field test). BPS:20/25 will be a nationally-representative sample of approximately 28,650 students who were first-time beginning students during the 2019-20 academic year. These students will be asked to complete a survey and administrative data will also be collected for them. BPS:20/25 and other NCES postsecondary studies include data linkages with many existing sources of valuable data, listed in appendix B, including the Department of Education’s FAFSA Processing System (FPS), National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), and National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). These NCES studies also obtain data from postsecondary institution student records, information on military service records from Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and admissions test scores from ACT and The College Board. Linkages to additional data providers, such as Experian and the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), may be explored for BPS:20/25. As part of the clearance process for the previously submitted and approved Field Test package (OMB# 1850-0631 v.20), NCES published a notice in the Federal Register allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day public comment period. That submission was designed to adequately justify the need for and overall practical utility of the full study, presenting the overarching plan for all phases of the data collection and providing as much detail about the measures to be used as is available at the time of that submission. The materials for the BPS:20/25 full-scale study are based upon the field test materials. In order to clear the final materials for the BPS:20/25 full-scale study, NCES is publishing a notice in the Federal Register allowing an additional 30-day public comment period on the final details and materials of the BPS:20/25 full-scale study.

The latest form for 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/25) Full-Scale Study expires 2028-01-31 and can be found here.

2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/25) Field Test

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Education - Higher Education