Education Topics

• Research Methods and Reviews
• Teacher Quality and Compensation
• Value-Added Methods
• Curricula and Computers in the Classroom
• Charter Schools and School Choice
• College Access
• Career-Focused Education
• At-Risk Youth
• School Leadership
• After-School Initiatives
• Academic and Nonacademic Competencies
• Clients

National Survey of Recent College Graduates

The National Survey of Recent College Graduates (NSRCG), sponsored by the National Science Foundation, collects information on the post-graduation employment characteristics of recent recipients of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the science, engineering, and health (SE&H) fields. 

The NSRCG is a multi-mode, biennial survey with a two-stage sample design. The 2008 NSRCG involved collecting the names of eligible graduates from 302 sampled colleges and universities. Stage 1 data collection response rate was 95 percent. At stage 2, the graduates were sampled, and the approximately 18,000 sampled SE&H graduates became part of the 2008 NSRCG survey.

Data collection on the NSRCG presents several challenges. Because of confidentiality concerns, colleges and universities are becoming increasingly reluctant to provide student information. Several schools, for example, would only participate if they made all of the student contacts. The greater challenges, however, pertain to being able to contact, and then persuade these recent graduates about the importance of their participation. For many, the first year or two after graduation is a relatively unstable period. Many are living on their own for the first time and may move frequently. Contacting graduates has been further complicated by the increasing percentage who live in cell-phone only households. It is estimated that 60 percent or more of these households are cell-phone only. Given no ready or all-inclusive source of cell phone numbers, finding sample members is very labor intensive. Parents, once a ready source, are also becoming more reluctant to give out contact information.

Through Mathematica’s experience, flexibility, and innovative know-how, we have been able to locate nearly 90 percent of these sample members. Using paradata to track daily progress and quickly modify data collection procedures, the 2008 data collection is approaching a 70 percent response rate.