Financial Aid Data Resources

Below are examples of the type of data you will find from each resource.

NASFAA Resources

National Level Data

U.S. Department of Education; National Center of Education Statistics

  • The Condition of Education looks at annual retention rates and graduation rates at 4-year degree-granting institutions and the percentage of 16- to 24-year-old college students who were employed while in school. It also takes a closer look at first-time undergraduate students and provides data on their total cost of attendance, their average total price, grants and scholarship aid, net price, and the percentage who receive financial aid at 4-year institutions.
  • The Digest of Education Statistics provides information about average undergraduate tuition and fee rates and room and board rates for full-time students in degree-granting institutions. Data is also provided on the percentage of full-time, full-year undergraduates receiving financial aid, average amount of aid awarded, and the percentage of part-time or part-year undergraduates receiving aid. At the post-baccalaureate level, statistics show the amount borrowed, aid status, and sources of aid for full-time, full-year students.
  • Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the core postsecondary education data collection program for U.S. Department of Education's National Center of Education Statistics and the College Navigator tool, provides information on institution by type, institutional offerings, admissions and enrollment, cost of attendance and prices charged, and student financial aid and employment.
  • The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) examines student charges and student financial assistance, such as:
    • Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, by level and control of institution
    • Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates by control and level of institution and state or jurisdiction
    • Percentage of undergraduates receiving aid, by type and source of aid and selected student characteristics
    • Average amount of financial aid awarded to undergraduates, by type and source of aid and selected student characteristics
    • Amount borrowed, aid status, and sources of aid for full-time and part-time undergraduates, by control and level of institution.
    The Projection of Education Statistics to 2026 offers actual and projected numbers for total enrollment in all postsecondary degree-granting institutions and for enrollment in public 4-year postsecondary degree-granting institutions.

U.S. Department of Education; Office of Postsecondary Education

  • U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education Program Data page provides data on the federal student financial aid programs including the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Family Education Loan Program, Federal Campus-Based Programs, Federal TEACH Grants, and the Federal Student Loan programs.
  • The Federal Campus-Based Programs Data Book provides data on the history of funding and awards, participating institutions, and the final allocations for the year. Fiscal data is provided, as is recipient data on campus-based programs like Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study, and Federal Perkins Loans.
  • The Federal Pell Grant End-of-Year Report provides a summary of statistics for the distribution of Federal Pell Grant recipients broken down by multiple data points such as expected family contribution and family income, enrollment status and type and control of institution, family income and application type, grant level and type and control of institution, state and control of institution, state of legal residence and control of institution, type and control of institution, and EFC formula type. It also looks at Federal Pell Grant recipients by age and family income, family income and net asset level, educational cost and grant level, and family income and educational cost.
  • U.S. Department of Education Budget News provides the latest news on funding of the U.S. Department of Education programs, including congressional action on appropriations.

U.S. Department of Education; Federal Student Aid

U.S. Census Bureau

College Board Trends Reports

  • Trends In College Pricing offers annual information on topics including published tuition and fee and room and board charges, student budgets, regional variation in charges, average net price for public and private institutions, family income, and enrollment patterns over time.
  • Trends in Student Aid has annual information on a number of student aid topics including: total student aid, 10-year trends in student aid; total undergraduate/graduate student aid by type, total aid per full-time equivalent student, total grants, and total loans. It also offers data on types of grants and loans, federal aid recipients, federal aid by sector, student loan default, student loans and debt, education tax credits and tuition deductions, state and institutional grants, and college savings plans.

State Level Data

  • Since 1960, Grapevine has published annual compilations of data on state tax support for higher education, including general fund appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and state higher education agencies. Each year's Grapevine survey has asked states for tax appropriations data for the new fiscal year and for revisions (if any) to data reported in previous years.
  • State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO) annual State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report. The SHEF report is produced annually by SHEEO to broaden understanding of the context and consequences of multiple decisions made every year in each of these areas. No single report can provide definitive answers to such broad and fundamental questions of public policy, but the SHEF report provides information to help inform such decisions.
  • Education Commission of the States (ECS) offers several opportunities to examine financial aid data at the state level. ECS tracks state education policy on a wide variety of education topics via their interactive tool. They also oversee the State Financial Aid Redesign initiative.  

Other Post-Secondary Research Organizations

  • Lumina Foundation's mission is to expand access and success in education beyond high school, particularly among adults, first-generation college going students, low-income students and students of color. This mission is directed toward a single, overarching big goal – to increase the percentage of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials1 to 60 percent by the year 2025.
  • The Project on Student Debt is an initiative of The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), an independent, nonprofit organization working to make higher education more available and affordable for people of all backgrounds.

Publication Date: 9/13/2018


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