Education.  More Selected Reserve NPS recruits completed high school than was the case for their civilian peers, as indicated in Table 5.6.  Approximately 91 percent of FY 1998 Selected Reserve NPS accessions were in Tiers 1 (high school graduates) and 2 (alternative credentials), compared to 79 percent of 18- to 24-year-old civilians. The most marked differences among the Reserve Components in FY 1998 high school graduate NPS recruits were between the Army and "non-Army" Components.  In the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, 87 and 77 percent of NPS enlistees were high school diploma graduates, respectively.  In comparison, the USMCR, accessed 97 percent NPS high school graduates.  The percentage in Tier 1 for all Components except the Army National Guard decreased from FY 1997 to 1998, with decreases ranging from less than 1 percentage point to 16 percentage points.  The Army National Guard and Air National Guard had the highest proportion of Tier 2 accessions (7 and 6 percent, respectively).  The proportion of Tier 2 accessions for the ARNG decreased from 17 in FY 1997. The Army Reserve experienced a significant increase in Tier 3 accessions from 3 percent in FY 1997 to 20 percent in FY 1998.

College experience refers to individuals who have completed at least one semester in junior college or a 4-year institution.  The USNR had, by far, the highest proportion of accessions with college experience (33 percent).  Most enlisted occupations are generally comparable to civilian jobs not requiring college education.

Table 5.6.  FY 1998 Selected Reserve Non-Prior Service Enlisted Accessions, by Education Tier and Component, and Civilians 18–24 Years Old (Percent)
Education Tier	Army National Guard	Army Reserve	Naval Reserve	Marine Corps Reserve	Air National Guard	Air Force Reserve	Total DoD	18- to 24-Year- Old Civilians*
Tier 1: Regular High School Graduate or Higher**	86.5	77.4	92.7	96.5	92.5	96.0	86.0	78.8
Tier 2:  GED, Alternative Credentials	6.7	2.7	5.4	3.2	6.3	3.0	5.1
Tier 3:  No Credentials	6.8	19.9	1.8	0.3	1.3	1.1	8.9	21.2
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
College Experience (Part of Tier 1)1	2.1	3.7	33.1	4.0	5.4	5.4	4.4	45.8
Columns may not add to total due to rounding.  *Civilian percentages combine Tiers 1 and 2.  **Tier 1 includes members still in high school. 1 These military data represent only Selected Reserve NPS enlisted accessions.  Officers, who usually have college degrees, are not included.  See Chapter 6 for a discussion of Reserve officers. Also see Appendix Tables C-7 (Education by Component and Gender) and C-8 (Education by Component and Race/Ethnicity). Source:  Civilian data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey File, October 1997 – September 1998.

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