The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) issued a 'First Look' report presenting findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2008 data collection, which included four components: Student Financial Aid for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students for the 2007-08 academic year; Enrollment for fall 2007; Graduation Rates for full-time, first-time degree/ certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 2001 at 4-year institutions or in 2004 at less-than-4-year institutions; and Finance for fiscal year 2007.

Regarding financial Aid, the report details full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates enrolled and those receiving financial aid at Title IV institutions, by sector of institution for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.

• During the 2006-07 academic year, 73.3 percent of the 2.8 million full-time, first-time degree/ certificate-seeking undergraduates attending Title IV institutions in the United States received financial aid - down from 75.3 percent in the 2005-06 academic year (table 7).

• During the 2006-07 academic year, private for-profit 2-year schools had the highest percentage of student aid recipients (87.4 percent) and private for-profit 4-year schools had the lowest percentage of student aid recipients (55.4 percent)

The report also details the number and percentage of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates and financial aid recipients and average amounts of financial aid received by full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates at Title IV institutions, by sector of institution and type of aid for the 2006-07 academic year. Findings include:

• Proportions of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates receiving aid varied somewhat by institution sector: 75 percent of those attending public 4-year institutions; 85 percent of those attending private not-for-profit 4-year institutions; and 55 percent of those attending private for-profit 4-year institutions received some type of financial aid (table 8).

• Considering full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students, approximately 45 percent borrowed through an education loan program during the 2006-07 academic year. Borrowing varied by institution sector: 44 percent of those attending public 4- year institutions; 59 percent of those attending private not-for-profit 4-year institutions; and 52 percent of those attending private for-profit 4-year institutions borrowed through an education loan program during the 2006-07 academic year (table 8).

The report also details the amount and percentages that different higher education sectors spent on financial aid in the 2007 fiscal year.

	4-year		2-year		Less-than-2-year
	Expenses (in thousands)	Percent	Expenses (in thousands)	Percent	Expenses (in thousands)	Percent
Public institutions using GASB standards
Total expenses	$188,903,134	100.0	$43,678,514	100.0	$1,207,076	100.0
Scholarships and fellowships (excluding discounts and allowances)	$6,016,596	3.2	$2,943,457	6.7	$8,095	0.7
Private not-for-profit institutions (FASB standards)
Total expenses	$124,103,526	100.0	$961,974	100.0	$211,218	100.0
Net grant aid to students	$714,555	0.6	$14,106	$1.5	$6	#
Private for-profit institutions (FASB standards)
Total expenses	$8,837,598	100.0	$4,049,500	100.0	$2,647,652	100.0
Net grant aid to students	56,930	0.6	12,220	0.3	3,854	0.1

Characteristics of Enrolled Students

• In fall 2007, Title IV institutions in the United States enrolled a total of 18.7 million graduate and undergraduate students; 62 percent were enrolled in 4-year institutions, 36 percent were enrolled in 2-year institutions, and 2 percent were enrolled in less-than-2-year institutions.

• One-fourth of all students enrolled in Title IV institutions in fall 2007 were 18- to 24-yearolds attending public 4-year institutions; an additional 18 percent were 18- to 24-year-olds attending public 2-year institutions.

Graduation Rates

• Approximately 57 percent of full-time, first-time bachelor's or equivalent degree-seekers attending 4-year institutions completed a bachelor's or equivalent degree at the institution where they began their studies within 6 years.

• Graduation rates of bachelor's-seeking students at 4-year institutions increased when measured after 6 years, rather than after 4 years, from time of entry (table 6). The graduation rate of all bachelor's-seeking students in the 2001 cohort is 36 percent after 4 years, 53 percent after 5 years, and 57 percent after 6 years.

Education Dept. Releases Data on Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Student Aid The Chronicle of Higher Education

Building Capacity, Slowly Inside Higher Ed

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