Report Examines the Higher Education Experience of Students Who Were in Ninth Grade in 2009

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education looks at students who were in ninth grade in 2009 and follows their progress through higher education. Some of the data is broken down by gender.

The report found that for those who enrolled in higher education, women had an average grade point average in college of 2.8, compared to 2.5 for men who went on to college.

Nine out of 10 students took at least one course in STEM fields in college. Men earned an average of 19.5 credits in STEM fields compared to 18.3 credits in STEM fields for women. But women posted a slightly higher grade point average than men in STEM courses.

Some 46.8 percent of women student took out loans to finance their higher education, compared to 43.5 percent of men

The full report, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009: A First Look at the Postsecondary Transcripts and Student Financial Aid Records of Fall 2009 Ninth-Graders, may be downloaded by clicking here.