Comparisons between ALTS respondents and other datasets (NSF and the National Longitudinal Transition Study) show:
ALTS participants attend college at a higher rate: 159 (92%) of ALTS's 173 high school graduates attended college; 154 (97%) of these, within two years from high school graduation. By comparison, 77% of the NLTS participants had postsecondary goals in high school, and fewer than one third of these (31%) took a postsecondary course within two years after high school.
ALTS participants are about as likely to attend a technical/two-year college program: About half of both NLTS and ALTS participants who attended postsecondary school did so at a technical/two-year college.