Accessing and Installing the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) CD

The National Educational Longitudinal Study followed a sample of eighth-graders first surveyed in 1988 on a range of topics. A sample were then resurveyed through follow-ups in 1990, 1992, and 1994. On the questionnaire, students reported on a range of topics including: school, work, and home experiences; educational resources and support; the role in education of their parents and peers; neighborhood characteristics; educational and occupational aspirations; and other student perceptions. Additional topics included self-reports on smoking, alcohol and drug use and extracurricular activities.

A CD with followups to 2000 is available in the Social Science Reference Center, on A floor in Firestone Library.

Princeton University users only may access the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) CD.

In order to extract data from the CD, you need to install an easy-to-use program. The CD has data from 1990 up to the most current data available.

1. Right-click on "My Network Places" and select "Map Network Drive."
2. Select a drive letter - make note of which drive you use since you will need to use the same one everytime you want to use this data!
3. In the "Folder" box enter: \\procom\nels
4. When the drive is mapped (you may need to double-click on "My Computer" to see it), double click on the "Ecbw" folder, then double-click on the file "Setup.exe".
5. The installation program will begin. You will be asked if you want to install the "N4P" and/or the "N2P" data, choose both.
6. The "destination directory" should be a directory on your own PC.
7. When the installation is complete, the program will show up in your "Start" menu as "Electronic Codebook" or "Ecbw." The "N2P" icon is for the 1988-1992 data and the "N4P" icon is for the 1988-1994 data.

See this page for some pointers on using the NELS CD.

If you have any questions or problems, please email data@princeton.edu