Researchers interested in accessing all raw data, from baseline through the 1986 follow-up, need to apply for a restricted-use data license at no cost through NCES’s Restricted-use License Program. Read NCES instructions for more information. All variables available across the study can be viewed through NCES Study Variable List.
The procedure to obtain a license includes submitting the following:
- a formal request document signed by the principal researchers and the senior official of the organization;
- a statement listing the requested database, the research goals and data use, the sectors of the community that will be served, and assurance that the data will not be used for administrative or regulatory purposes;
- a data security plan which typically requires that data be stored on a stand-alone computer with no internet connections;
- a signed and notarized affidavit of non-disclosure for each individual who will have access to the data; and
the estimated period during which the data will be used (typically 5 years and renewable).