Students Who Study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Postsecondary Education

Using data from the 1995-96 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, this 2009 Statistics in Brief focuses on undergraduates who enter STEM programs and examines their characteristics and postsecondary outcomes (persistence and degree completion) several years after beginning postsecondary education. Findings include:

•Twenty-three percent of 1995-96 beginning postsecondary students had majored in a STEM field at some point between their initial enrollment in 1995-96 and about 6 years later, as of 2001.
•STEM entrants generally did better than non-STEM entrants in terms of bachelor's degree attainment and overall persistence.
•Among all STEM entrants between 1995-96 and 2001, some 53 percent persisted in a STEM field by either completing a degree in a STEM field or staying enrolled in a STEM field, and the remaining 47 percent left STEM fields by either switching to a non-STEM field or leaving postsecondary education without earning any credential.  Download the full report.